Adeno-associated virus

Adeno- associated virus, or AAV are among the dependoviruses, ie they are dependent (Latin dependere ) by a helper virus that infects the same cell. The AAV is a dependent adenovirus (hence " adeno " -associated viruses ). The helper virus supplies the proteins required for the replication of AAV in the cell. These proteins are the adenoviral proteins E1A, E2A, E4 and VA RNA. As a helper virus but can also use the herpes simplex virus 1 or the Human Cytomegalovirus serve.

Without the presence of a helper virus, AAV integrates in humans in chromosome 19, or is made as an episome in addition to the Human Genome durable; when adenoviruses are present, the cell enters the lytic cycle, ie the particles multiply and the cell bursts then on, so that AAV can redistribute.

AAV may be used in gene therapy, because they are not associated with disease. In addition, the particles are very stable and it can also be rest tissues (eg, neurons) infect it.

A serious disadvantage of AAV is its small genome, which is flanked by two ITRs ( inverted terminal repeats ). Between the ITRs are located only 4.7 kb. This means that for a recombinant variant only 4.7 kb available.