Replication-defective recombinant AAV virions

Abstract

The invention provides a method for producing purified replication-defective recombinant AAV virions. The method comprises introducing into a suitable host cell an AAV vector, an AAV helper construct and an adenoplasmid accessory construct into the host cell. The adenoplasmid accessory plasmid is composed adenovirus plasmid DNA unable to be packaged into adenoviral particles because it lacks packaging signal sequence(s) or it contains additional sequences making it too large to package. The host cell is cultured to produce crude rAAV virions and then lysed. The resulting cell lysate is applied to a chromatographic column containing sulfonated cellulose or subjected to cesium chloride equilibrium gradient centrifugation and the purified rAAV virions are recovered.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for producing replication-defective recombinant AAV virions substantially free of wild-type AAV and helper adenovirus, comprising: 
 a. introducing into a suitable host cell (i) an AAV vector that is free of AAV coding sequences and that comprises a heterologous gene operatively positioned between two AAV ITRs, (ii) an AAV helper construct having at least one gene encoding an AAV capsid protein, and (iii) an adenoplasmid accessory construct having a full adenoviral genome that either lacks a packaging signal or that contains sufficient additional nucleotides to be rendered unpackagable, to produce a transformed host cell;    b. culturing the transformed host cell to produce replication-defective recombinant AAV virions having said heterologous gene; and    c. lysing the cultured host cell to obtain said replication-defective recombinant AAV virions substantially free of wild-type AAV and adenovirus particles.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adenoplasmid accessory construct has a full adenoviral genome that lacks a packaging signal.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adenoplasmid accessory construct having a full adenoviral genome that contains sufficient additional nucleotides to be rendered unpackagable.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heterologous gene encodes a human protein.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said human protein is erythropoietin, thrombopoietin (G-CSF), Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor Xa, human growth hormone, leptin or IL-2.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adenoplasmid accessory construct is pJM17, pBHG10 or pBHG11.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 d. applying the lysate of step (c) to a column comprising sulfonated cellulose; and  
 e. recovering purified replication-defective recombinant AAV virions substantially free of host cell proteins and host cell debris.  
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the heterologous gene encodes a human protein.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said human protein is erythropoietin, thrombopoietin (G-CSF), Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor Xa, human growth hormone, leptin or IL-2.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the adenoplasmid accessory construct is pJM17, pBHG10 or pBHG11.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising the steps of: 
 d. applying the lysate of step (c) to a column comprising sulfonated cellulose; and  
 e. recovering purified replication-defective recombinant AAV virions substantially free of host cell proteins and host cell debris.  
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the heterologous gene encodes a human protein.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said human protein is erythropoietin, thrombopoietin (G-CSF), Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor Xa, human growth hormone, leptin or IL-2.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the adenoplasmid accessory construct is pJM17, pBHG10 or pBHG11.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising the steps of: 
 d. applying the lysate of step (c) to a column comprising sulfonated cellulose; and  
 e. recovering purified replication-defective recombinant AAV virions substantially free of host cell proteins and host cell debris.  
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in said two AAV ITRs are wild-type.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said two AAV ITRs are AAV-2 ITRs.