Abstract
The development of an efficient and safe vector is the most important for effective gene therapy, because viral and nonviral vectors used in clinical studies showed various risks, such so insertion mutation or less efficiency. In this study, we attempted to design a novel hybrid gene transfer vector, VSV-liposomes, prepared by fusing simple liposomes and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) particles. VSV is an enveloped virus whose nucleocapsid finds its way to the cytoplasm of the host cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis, followed by fusion with the membrane of the endocytic vesicle. Therefore VSV-liposomes are not reduced by lysosomal enzyme, VSV-liposomes can introduce encapsulating valuable materials such as drugs, proteins, nucleic acids, and other biochemical reagents efficiently into cytoplasm, The uptake of fragment A of diphtheria (DTA) into cultured cells by VSV-liposomes is one hundred times higher than that by liposomes. VSV-liposomes and VSV did not show any hemolytic effect. In addition, no cytotoxicity was observed by even higher concentration of VSV-liposomes. When the cells were treated VSV-liposomes containing pCAL2, a firefly luciferase expression plasmid, the luciferase activity of cells had higher than that of these cells which were treated conventional liposomes. These results indicate VSV-liposomes are useful as a in vivo gene transfer vector.
