VSV-G Envelope Glycoprotein Forms Complexes with Plasmid DNA and MLV Retrovirus-like Particles in Cell-free Conditions and Enhances DNA Transfection

We have previously shown that vesicles containing the spike glycoprotein of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-G) can associate efficiently with immature, non-infectious, envelope-deficient retrovirus-like particles assembled by packaging cells to produce infectious, pseudotyped viruses in cell-free conditions in vitro. We have also previously reported that VSV-G can enhance DNA lipofection efficiency by interacting with liposomes to form fusogenic, serum-stable liposomes with enhanced transfection properties. Here, we report that VSV-G can form a complex directly with naked plasmid DNA in the absence of a lipofection reagent and can thereby enhance the transfection efficiency of the naked plasmid vector. Sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis demonstrated that VSV-G can also associate with plasmid DNA and murine leukemia virus (MLV) gag-pol particles to form ternary complexes that co-sediment with high DNA transfecting activity. The increased transfection efficiency with VSV-G was dependent on the presence of the polycation (Polybrene) in the culture medium during transfection. Enhanced transfection was abolished by a neutralizing antibody to VSV-G. These results may be useful in the study of retrovirus assembly, in the further design of hybrid DNA-based retrovirus-like vectors, and in the full in vitro, cell-free assembly of infectious virus-like particles from component parts.