Pseudotyping of Lentiviral Vector for Targeting CD81+ Cells
To meet the challenging requirements, Creative Biolabs has equipped a team of experienced scientists with facilities and processes designed specifically to provide the best strategy and protocols customized to lentiviral vector services for gene therapy. We have successfully accomplished a number of projects and have delivered numerous novel or validated lentiviral vectors in a range of therapeutic areas.
Introduction of CD81
CD81, also known as TATP-1, is a member of the tetramer family that plays an important role in regulating cell development, activation, growth, and metastasis. Pilot studies indicate that CD81 is a cell-surface protein with four hydrophobic domains and is involved in mediating many signal pathways. In general, CD81 is regarded as a glycoprotein that can specifically bind to integrins. Furthermore, recent researchers have revealed that CD81 can enhance the cell fusion of muscles and can improve the maintenance of muscle tubes. In addition, more recent studies suggest that CD81 gene should be an attractive target for a wide variety of malignant tumors, such as breast cancer, brain cancer, and melanoma. The mutation in the CD81 gene can lead to the low or no expression of other molecules, including CD62 and CD19, on the surface of T cell or B cell. Scientists have theorized that CD81 is necessary for many signal transductions, which can be infected by a range of human viruses, for instance, hepatitis C virus. As a result, a number of viral vectors have been developed for increasing the immune response of CD81+ cells. Among them, lentiviral vectors are one of the most advanced vectors and have been widely used for gene delivery.
Figure 1. The HIV-1 life cycle for lentiviral vector design and construction. (Sakumal, 2012)
Service at Creative Biolabs
In the past few years, many studies have demonstrated that lentiviral vectors are a safe and effective delivery system for gene therapy. To date, lentiviral vectors have been developed and widely used for specifically inserting targeted genes into different types of cells. Creative Biolabs provides a panel of services to design suitable lentiviral vectors for our worldwide customers. Up to now, we have established a variety of lentiviral vectors targeting CD81+ cells with gene-of-interest. For example, a three-generation lentiviral vector has been constructed, and the data indicate that this vector can mediate stable gene transfer into CD81+ cells in murine tumor models.
Moreover, other studies conducted by our labs have also illustrated that lentiviral vectors are perfect gene transfer systems for genetic therapy of primary human T lymphocytes. They can trigger a strong specific CD81+ T-cell response against various types of lymphohematologic disorders. Additionally, we also have a well-mature pseudotyping platform to improve the host range and change the tropism of lentiviral vectors. Glycoproteins (GPs) from different kinds of enveloped viruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), are commonly used for increasing the expression of targeted genes in vector-producing CD81+ cells. And we can also conduct lentiviral vectors studies in various kind of GPs derived from different viruses, such as:
With years of operational experience, Creative Biolabs is able to provide the state-of-art services for any viral vector-based project with qualitative measurements. Our scientists specialized in gene therapy will work with you to develop a most appropriate strategy that will offer the most meaningful data for your research. Now, we have developed efficient protocols for identification and verification of lentiviral vectors. If you have any special needs in our viral vector services or be interested in learning more about our company, please feel free to contact us for more details.
Reference
- Sakuma, T., et al. (2012). Lentiviral vectors: basic to translational. Biochem J. 443(3): 603-18.
