INTRACELLULAR IMMUNIZATION OF HUMAN FETAL CORD-BLOOD STEM PROGENITOR CELLS WITH A RIBOZYME AGAINST HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1

Successful treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection may ult imately require targeting of hematopoietic stem cells. Here we used re troviral vectors carrying the ribozyme gene to transduce CD34(+) cells from human fetal cord blood. Transduction and ribozyme expression had no apparent adverse effect on cell differentiation and/or proliferati on. The macrophage-like cells, differentiated from the stem/progenitor cells in vitro, expressed the ribozyme gene and resisted infection by a macrophage tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1. These result s suggest the feasibility of stem cell gene therapy for human immunode ficiency virus-infected patients.