Adeno-associated Virus
Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are ubiquitous, non-cytopathic, replication incompetent members of the Parvoviridae family. AAV replication requires the presence of a helper virus, and this is usually one of the many serotypes of adenovirus. The epidemiology of AAV infection in humans was extensively studied after its initial description some 40 years ago. Many adults have antibodies reactive against one or more AAV serotypes, a finding which is entirely consistent with early and repeated exposures to AAV and adenoviruses throughout life. Even with this level of exposure, AAV does not cause any disease or other pathologic condition in humans. In recent years, gene transfer vectors based on recombinant AAV (rAAV) have garnered considerable interest as potential agents for a wide assortment of human applications. rAAV vectors are structurally simple and versatile.
For more details, see the links below.
- The atomic structure of adeno-associated virus (AAV-2), a vector for human gene therapy, Xie Q, Bu W, Bhatia S, Hare J, Somasundaram T, Azzi A, Chapman MS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Aug 6;99(16):10405-10.
- Adeno-associated virus: a ubiquitous commensal of mammals, Flotte TR, Berns KI. Hum Gene Ther. 2005 Apr;16(4):401-7.
- Adeno-associated virus: from defective virus to effective vector, Goncalves MA. Virol J. 2005 May 6;2(1):43.
- AAV hybrid serotypes: improved vectors for gene delivery, Choi VW, McCarty DM, Samulski RJ. Curr Gene Ther. 2005 Jun;5(3):299-310.
- New recombinant serotypes of AAV vectors, Gao G, Vandenberghe LH, Wilson JM. Curr Gene Ther. 2005 Jun;5(3):285-97.