DUAL-TARGET INHIBITION OF HIV-1 INVITRO BY MEANS OF AN ADENOASSOCIATED VIRUS ANTISENSE VECTOR

An adeno-associated virus vector encoding an antisense RNA was used to transduce stable intracellular resistance to human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in human hemopoietic and non-hemopoietic cell lines. The antisense targets are present in all HIV-1 transcripts and include the TAR sequence, which is critical for transcription and virus replication, and the polyadenylation signal. Cell lines expressing antisense RNA showed up to 95 percent inhibition of gene expression directed by the HIV-1 long terminal repeat and greater than 99 percent reduction in infectious HIV-1 production, with no detectable cellular toxicity. Because of their efficient transcription and inability to recombine with HIV-1, adeno-associated virus vectors represent a promising form of anti-retroviral gene therapy.