An attenuated CVB3 vector can successfully deliver exogenous genes to cardiomyocytes while demonstrating reduced virulence, offering a potential tool for viral tracking and gene therapy.
Attenuated CVB3 vectors merit further preclinical testing for cardiac gene delivery; leaves open translation to human applications.
Cardiomyocytes are quite resistant to gene transfer using standard techniques. We developed an expression vector carrying an attenuated but infectious and replicative coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) genome, and unique ClaI-StuI cloning sites for an exogenous gene, whose product can be released from the nascent viral polyprotein by 2A(pro) cleavage. This vector was tested as an expression vehicle for green fluorescent protein (GFP). The vector transiently expressed GFP in cell cultures for at least ten passages and delivered functional GFP to the infected cardiomyocytes for at least 6 days. Moreover, the recombinant viruses showed virulence attenuation in vitro and in vivo. The findings suggest that the recombinant CVB3 vector could be a useful tool for viral tracking study and delivering exogenous proteins to cardiomyocytes.
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Zeng et al. (2013) studied this question.
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