Mergia A, Heinkelein M
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2003;277:131-59. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-55701-9_6.
Gene therapy is a promising novel treatment for a variety of human diseases. Successful application of gene therapy requires the availability of vehicles with the ability to efficiently deliver and express genes. Viral vectors are efficient means of transferring a gene of interest into target cells. Current available vehicles for gene transfer are either inefficient or potentially unsafe for human gene therapy applications. Foamy viruses offer a fresh alternative vector system for gene transfer with the potential to overcome the concerns of the current vectors. Foamy viruses are nonpathogenic and have a broad host range with the ability to infect various types of cells from different species. Foamy virus replication is distinct and may provide an edge for foamy virus vector usage over other retroviral vectors. These features offer the foamy vectors unique opportunities to deliver several genes into a number of different cell types in vivo safely and efficiently. The principal problems for the design of foamy virus vectors have been solved, and several foamy virus vectors that efficiently transduce a variety of cell types are available. This chapter reviews specific features of foamy virus vector systems and recent advances in the development and use of these vectors.
基因治疗是一种针对多种人类疾病的很有前景的新型治疗方法。基因治疗的成功应用需要具备能够有效递送和表达基因的载体。病毒载体是将感兴趣的基因转移到靶细胞中的有效手段。目前可用于基因转移的载体对于人类基因治疗应用而言，要么效率低下，要么存在潜在的安全性问题。泡沫病毒为基因转移提供了一种全新的替代载体系统，有可能克服当前载体所存在的问题。泡沫病毒无致病性，宿主范围广泛，能够感染来自不同物种的各种类型细胞。泡沫病毒的复制方式独特，与其他逆转录病毒载体相比，这可能是其作为载体使用的一个优势。这些特性为泡沫病毒载体提供了独特机遇，使其能够在体内安全、高效地将多个基因递送至多种不同类型的细胞。泡沫病毒载体设计的主要问题已得到解决，现已具备多种能够有效转导多种细胞类型的泡沫病毒载体。本章综述了泡沫病毒载体系统的具体特性以及这些载体在研发和应用方面的最新进展。
