Herpes simplex virus 1 coinfection modifies adeno-associated virus genome end recombination

Anita Felicitas Meier, Kurt Tobler, Kevin Michaelsen, Bernd Vogt, Els Henckaerts*, Cornel Fraefel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Wild-type adeno-associated virus (AAV) can only replicate in the presence of helper factors, which can be provided by coinfecting helper viruses such as adenoviruses and herpesviruses. The AAV genome consists of a linear, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), which is converted into different molecular structures within the host cell. Using high-throughput sequencing, we found that herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) coinfection leads to a shift in the type of AAV genome end recombination. In particular, open-end inverted terminal repeat (ITR) recombination was enhanced, whereas openclosed ITR recombination was reduced in the presence of HSV-1. We demonstrate that the HSV-1 protein ICP8 plays an essential role in HSV-1-mediated interference with AAV genome end recombination, indicating that the previously described ICP8-driven mechanism of HSV-1 genome recombination may be underlying the observed changes. We also provide evidence that additional factors, such as products of true late genes, are involved. Although HSV-1 coinfection significantly changed the type of AAV genome end recombination, no significant change in the amount of circular AAV genomes was identified. IMPORTANCE: Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy represents one of the most promising approaches for the treatment of genetic diseases. Currently, various GMP-compatible production methods can be applied to manufacture clinicalgrade vector, including methods that employ helper factors derived from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Yet, to date, we do not fully understand how HSV-1 interacts with AAV. We observed that HSV-1 modulates AAV genome ends similarly to the genome recombination events observed during HSV-1 replication and postulate that further improvements of the HSV-1 production platform may enhance packaging of the recombinant AAV particles.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00486-21
JournalJournal of Virology
Volume95
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021

Keywords

  • AAV
  • Adeno-associated virus
  • Genome end recombination
  • Herpes simplex virus type 1
  • HSV-1

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