Efficient gene expression by self-complementary adeno-associated virus serotype 2 and 5 in various human cancer cells.

The feasibility of various self-complementary AAV (scAAV) serotypes as efficient gene delivery vehicles in human cancer cells was evaluated. To dissect the transduction characteristics, we infected a variety of human cancer cells with scAAV1-6 or scAAV8 expressing GFP. scAAV2 led to the best transduction efficiency with nearly complete transgene expression at 1000 MOI in most cancer cells, regardless of cell/tissue origins. scAAV5 could also induce effective gene expression, even though gene transfer potency by scAAV5 was poorer than that by scAAV2. Substantial portion of transgene expression lasted over a month following gene delivery by both scAAV 2 and scAAV5, indicating that long-term gene expression can occur. Moreover, co-infection of scAAV2 and scAAV5 can induce simultaneous transgene expressions introduced via each vector. Thus, the current study provide evidence that scAAV2 and scAAV5 vectors are excellent gene transfer tools in a wide variety of human cancer cells, independently driving persistent transgene expression.