Baculovirus is an efficient vector for the transduction of the eye: comparison of baculovirus‐ and adenovirus‐mediated intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor D gene transfer in the rabbit eye

Abstract

The study suggests that baculoviruses are efficient vectors for ocular gene transfer, especially if deeper retinal layers need to be transduced. In addition, intravitreal VEGF-D gene transfer caused blood-retina barrier breakdown but not neovessel formation in the rabbit eye.

How to avoid complement attack in baculovirus-mediated gene delivery

“…Subretinal injections resulted in restricted transduction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, whereas intravitreal injections led to gene expression in the corneal endothelium, RPE, lens and retina. Similarly, we demonstrated efficient transduction of retina, RPE and also photoreceptor cells after intravitreal injections to rabbit eye (Kinnunen et al, 2009). Three other studies have used intravitreal injection of baculovirus to rat eye to demonstrate the specificity of transgene expression from endothelial-and neuronal-specific promoters (Li et al, 2004(Li et al, , 2005Luz-Madrigal et al, 2007).…”

Gastrointestinal Delivery of Baculovirus Displaying Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Protects Mice against Heterologous H5N1 Infection

“…Tani et al (28) demonstrated that vesicular stomatitis virus glycoproteinmodified baculovirus was able to transduce a reporter gene into the cerebral cortex and testes of mice by direct inoculation in vivo. Furthermore, intravitreal injection of baculovirus caused expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in the inner retina, photoreceptor cells, and retinal pigment epithelium cells of rabbit eye (10). In the present study, we have also evaluated the potential of live BacHA to transduce the intestinal epithelial cells of orally immunized mice.…”

Rna Interference as Antiviral Therapy: Dream or Reality?

“…Moreover, not only can the baculoviruses be easy and cheap to produce, they can be grown to high titers in cell cultures as well. Although baculovirus vectors have not been used thus far for shRNA delivery in vivo, but these have been successfully used for gene transfer into mouse brain and rabbit retina (Lehtolainen et al 2002;Kinnunen et al 2009). …”