A. Fassati et al., EFFICIENCY OF IN-VIVO GENE-TRANSFER USING MURINE RETROVIRAL VECTORS IS STRAIN-DEPENDENT IN MICE, Human gene therapy, 6(9), 1995, pp. 1177-1183
Retroviral vectors can be used to transduce cultured cells at high fre
quencies, but efficient transduction of target cells in vivo has prove
d difficult and little is known about the factors that influence the e
fficiency of retroviral infection. Many commonly used mouse strains ha
rbor endogenous C-type proviruses, some of which are expressed and hav
e circulating antibodies against the viral envelope glycoproteins that
cross-react with the Moloney strain of murine leukemia virus (MoMLV),
from which most current retroviral vectors are derived. We have inves
tigated the relative efficiency of retroviral-mediated gene transfer i
nto regenerating skeletal muscle of a variety of mouse strains using a
MoMLV-based vector. Humoral immune competence and interference betwee
n endogenous MLVs and exogenous recombinant MoMLV were observed to aff
ect the efficiency of retroviral-mediated transfection in vivo. Our re
sults indicate that the mouse genetic background and immune status nee
d to be considered when choosing a preclinical model for in vivo retro
viral-mediated gene transfer.