USE OF AN AUTONOMOUS PARVOVIRUS VECTOR FOR SELECTIVE TRANSFER OF A FOREIGN GENE INTO TRANSFORMED HUMAN-CELLS OF DIFFERENT TISSUE ORIGINS AND ITS EXPRESSION THEREIN

In this work, we report the transduction of a chloramphenicol acetyltr ansferase (CAT) reporter gene into a variety of normal and transformed human cells of various tissue origins. The vector used was MVM/P38cat , a recombinant of the prototype strain of the autonomous parvovirus m inute virus of mice (MVMp). The CAT gene was inserted into the capsid- encoding region of the infectious molecular clone of MVMp genome, unde r the control of the MVM P38 promoter. When used to transfect permissi ve cells, the MVM/P38cat DNA was efficiently replicated and expressed the foreign CAT gene at high levels. By cotransfecting with a helper p lasmid expressing the capsid proteins, it was possible to produce mixe d virus stocks containing MVM/P38cat infectious particles and variable amounts of recombinant MVM. MVM/P38cat viral particles were successfu lly used to transfer the CAT gene and to express it in a variety of hu man cells. Both viral DNA replication and P38-driven CAT expression we re achieved in fibroblasts, epithelial cells, T lymphocytes, and macro phages in a transformation-dependent way, but with an efficiency depen ding on the cell type. In transformed B lymphocytes, however, the vect or was not replicated, nor did it express the CAT gene.