Generation of a neutralizing antibody against RD114-pseudotyped viral vectors.

The feline endogenous RD114 glycoprotein has proved to be an attractive envelope to pseudotype both retroviral and lentiviral vectors. As a surface protein, its detection on packaging cells as well as viral particles would be useful in different fields of its use. To address this, we generated a monoclonal antibody against RD114 by immunization of rats, termed 22F10. Once seroconversion was confirmed, purified 22F10 was cloned into murine Fc and characterized with a binding affinity of 10nM. The antibody was used to detect RD114 and its variant envelopes on different stable viral packaging cell lines (FLYRD18 and WinPac-RD). 22F10 was also shown to prevent the infections of different strains of RD-pseudotyped vectors but not related envelope glycoproteins by blocking cell surface receptor binding. We are the first to report the neutralization of viral particles by a monoclonal αRD114 antibody.

A Rev-independent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based vector that exploits a codon-optimized HIV-1 gag-pol gene.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome is AU rich, and this imparts a codon bias that is quite different from the one used by human genes. The codon usage is particularly marked for the gag, pol, and env genes. Interestingly, the expression of these genes is dependent on the presence of the Rev/Rev-responsive element (RRE) regulatory system, even in contexts other than the HIV genome. The Rev dependency has been explained in part by the presence of RNA instability sequences residing in these coding regions. The requirement for Rev also places a limitation on the development of HIV-based vectors, because of the requirement to provide an accessory factor. We have now synthesized a complete codon-optimized HIV-1 gag-pol gene. We show that expression levels are high and that expression is Rev independent. This effect is due to an increase in the amount of gag-pol mRNA. Provision of the RRE in cis did not lower protein or RNA levels or stimulate a Rev response. Furthermore we have used this synthetic gag-pol gene to produce HIV vectors that now lack all of the accessory proteins. These vectors should now be safer than murine leukemia virus-based vectors.

Cloning and characterization of hIF2, a human homologue of bacterial translation initiation factor 2, and its interaction with HIV-1 matrix.

The cDNA for a human homologue (hIF2) of bacterial (bIF2) and yeast (yIF2) translation initiation factor two (IF2) has been identified during a screen for proteins which interact with HIV-1 matrix. The hIF2 cDNA encodes a 1220-amino-acid protein with a predicted relative molecular mass of 139 kDa, though endogeneous hIF2 migrates anomalously on SDS/PAGE at 180 kDa. hIF2 has an extended N-terminus compared with its homologues, although its central GTP-binding domain and C-terminus are highly conserved, with 58% sequence identity with yIF2. We have confirmed that hIF2 is required for general translation in human cells by generation of a point mutation in the P-loop of the GTP-binding domain. This mutant protein behaves in a transdominant manner in transient transfections and leads to a significant decrease in the translation of a reporter gene. hIF2 interacts directly with HIV-1 matrix and Gag in vitro, and the protein complex can be immunoprecipitated from human cells. This interaction appears to block hIF2 function, since purified matrix protein inhibits translation in a reticulocyte lysate. hIF2 does not correspond to any of the previously characterized translation initiation factors identified in mammals, but its essential role in translation appears to have been conserved from bacteria to humans.