Retroviral gene delivery.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the properties of retroviruses and the affect of these properties on the properties of retrovirus-based vectors. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of retroviral vectors to those of several other gene transfer techniques are compared. The chapter describes the retroviral vector system based on the avian leukosis virus (ALV) retrovirus family. The ALV-based retroviral vector system can be used to deliver and express genes in avian and mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. The system can be used to exploit the advantages of both the avian and murine animal models. Replication-competent ALV-based vectors can be grown to high titer on avian cells but are replication-defective after infecting susceptible mammalian cells. The system offers advantages for experiments that require either widespread or tissue-specific gene delivery. If the target cells continue to divide, multiple experimental genes can be delivered sequentially by multiple retroviral infections. Other gene-delivery methods could be used in combination with the ALV-based retroviral vector system to deliver a second gene in cells that have stopped dividing.