AAV vector integration sites in mouse hepatocellular carcinoma

Science. 2007 Jul 27;317(5837):477. doi: 10.1126/science.1142658.

Abstract

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are promising gene therapy vectors that have little or no acute toxicity. We show that normal mice and mice with mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII) develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after neonatal injection of an AAV vector expressing b-glucuronidase. AAV proviruses were isolated from four tumors and were all located within a 6-kilobase region of chromosome 12. This locus encodes several imprinted transcripts, small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), and microRNAs. Transcripts from adjacent genes encoding snoRNAs and microRNAs were overexpressed in tumors. Our findings implicate this locus in the development of HCC and raise concerns over the clinical use of AAV vectors.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / virology
  • Cell Transformation, Viral
  • Dependovirus / genetics*
  • Genetic Vectors*
  • Glucuronidase / genetics
  • Liver / virology*
  • Liver Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Liver Neoplasms / virology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Proviruses / genetics
  • RNA, Small Nucleolar / genetics
  • Terminal Repeat Sequences
  • Virus Integration*

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Small Nucleolar
  • Glucuronidase