Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “vector engineering”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,513 records · Page 84Linked to original sources

Influence of the cellular host-vector system on the quality of therapeutic proteins obtained by recombinant DNA technology.

Variability of biologicals produced by genetic engineering should be controlled at the level of gene isolation, vector and clone (animal or bacterial) construction, translation and post-translational modifications and purification. In addition to the traditional tools of analytical chemistry of proteins the techniques of nucleic acid analysis such as Southern and Northern blot, RNase A cleavage and DNA sequencing must be used to control stability of genetic constructs, from the start to the end of the production process. Analytical protocols to establish authenticity of proteins should consider the bacterial or animal origin of the product, with special emphasis on techniques that allow determination of sugar content and structure.

Biotechnology↗

Therapeutic melanoma vaccines: Platforms, neoantigen strategies, and emerging combination immunotherapies.

Melanoma has emerged as a major focus of cancer immunotherapy research because of its highly immunogenic nature and responsiveness to immune-based treatments. Therapeutic melanoma vaccines are designed to stimulate tumor-specific immune responses through the delivery of Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs), Tumor-Specific Antigens (TSAs), and personalized neoantigens. This narrative review provides an overview of current melanoma vaccine strategies, including peptide-based vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, nucleic acid-based platforms such as mRNA, DNA, and viral vector vaccines. Recent advances in vaccine engineering and tumor genomics have accelerated the development of personalized neoantigen vaccines capable of targeting mutations unique to individual tumors. In parallel, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly being incorporated into neoantigen identification pipelines to improve epitope prediction and optimize vaccine design. Combination strategies involving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs), particularly anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies, have further enhanced interest in melanoma vaccines by helping overcome tumor-induced immune suppression and augment T-cell activation. In addition to reviewing vaccine mechanisms and emerging technologies, this manuscript examines the evolving clinical trial landscape through analysis of melanoma vaccine studies registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Although many studies have reported encouraging safety and immunogenicity findings, challenges related to tumor heterogeneity, immune evasion, biomarker selection, and manufacturing complexity continue to limit widespread clinical implementation. Ongoing advances in computational immunology, biomaterial engineering, and precision oncology are expected to further refine melanoma vaccine development and improve therapeutic efficacy. Collectively, these innovations may help establish melanoma vaccines as an increasingly important component of future personalized cancer immunotherapy strategies.

DNA vaccines↗

Molecular biological approaches to the study of vectors in relation to malaria control.

To a large extent, control of malaria vectors relies on the elimination of breeding sites and the application of chemical agents. There are increasing problems associated with the use of synthetic insecticides for vector control, including the evolution of resistance, the high cost of developing and registering new insecticides and an awareness of pollution from insecticide residues. These factors have stimulated interest in the application of molecular biology to the study of mosquito vectors of malaria; focussing primarily on two aspects. First, the improvement of existing control measures through the development of simplified DNA probe systems suitable for identification of vectors of malaria. The development of synthetic, non-radioactive DNA probes suitable for the identification of species in the Anopheles gambiae complex is described with the aim of defining a simplified methodology which is suitable for entomologist in the field. The second aspect to be considered is the development of completely novel strategies through the genetic manipulation of insect vectors of malaria in order to alter their ability to transmit the disease. The major requirements for producing transgenic mosquitoes are outlined together with the progress which has been made to date and discussed in relation to the prospects which this type of approach has for the future control of malaria.

Animals↗

Baculovirus as versatile vectors for protein expression in insect and mammalian cells.

Today, many thousands of recombinant proteins, ranging from cytosolic enzymes to membrane-bound proteins, have been successfully produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells. Yet, in addition to its value in producing recombinant proteins in insect cells and larvae, this viral vector system continues to evolve in new and unexpected ways. This is exemplified by the development of engineered insect cell lines to mimic mammalian cell glycosylation of expressed proteins, baculovirus display strategies and the application of the virus as a mammalian-cell gene delivery vector. Novel vector design and cell engineering approaches will serve to further enhance the value of baculovirus technology.

Animals↗

Induction of radioprotective peroxiredoxin-I by ionizing irradiation.

Results of this study indicate a radioprotective effect of peroxiredoxin-I. Peroxiredoxin-I is an antioxidant that scavenges hydroperoxides, whereas reactive oxygen species are the main mediators of ionizing radiation toxicity. We hypothesized that peroxiredoxin-I might be induced by cellular exposure to radiation and act to protect them against its cytotoxic effects. Western blot and Northern blot analyses were used to assess peroxiredoxin-I protein and mRNA expression. Rat C6 glioma cells were engineered to overexpress sense or antisense human peroxiredoxin-I using retroviral vectors. Clonogenic cell survival was used to assess radiosensitivities of the engineered cells. Ionizing radiation induced peroxiredoxin-I protein and mRNA expression in human HT29 colon cancer and rat C6 glioma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner over a 24 hr period. To determine the effect of peroxiredoxin-I on radiation responses, C6 glioma cells were engineered to overexpress sense or antisense human peroxiredoxin-I. In clonogenic assays, cells overexpressing peroxiredoxin-I were more radioresistant. Cells transduced with antisense peroxiredoxin-I were marginally more sensitive to radiation toxicity. Irradiation can induce peroxiredoxin-I expression, and the increased peroxiredoxin-I may protect cells from further radiation damage. These results suggest that protection by peroxiredoxin-I may play an important role in the survival of glioma and colon cancer cells in patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Animals↗

Peptide-matrix-mediated gene transfer of an oxygen-insensitive hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha variant for local induction of angiogenesis.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) constitutes a target in therapeutic angiogenesis. HIF-1alpha functions as a sensor of hypoxia and induces expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which then induces angiogenesis. To explore the potential of HIF-1alpha gene therapy in stimulating wound healing, we delivered a gene encoding a stabilized form of HIF-1alpha, lacking the oxygen-sensitive degradation domain, namely HIF-1alpha deltaODD, by using a previously characterized peptide-based gene delivery vector in fibrin as a surgical matrix. The peptide vector consisted of multiple domains: (i) A cysteine-flanked lysine hexamer provided DNA interactions that were stable extracellularly but destabilized intracellularly after reduction of the formed disulfide bonds. This DNA-binding domain was fused to either (ii) a fibrin-binding peptide for entrapment within the matrix or (iii) a nuclear localization sequence for efficient nuclear targeting. The HIF-1alpha deltaODD gene was expressed and translocated to the nucleus under normoxic conditions, leading to up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A165 mRNA and protein levels in vitro. When the peptide-DNA nanoparticles entrapped in fibrin matrices were applied to full-thickness dermal wounds in the mouse (10 microg per wound in 30 microl of fibrin), angiogenesis was increased comparably strongly to that induced by VEGF-A165 protein (1.25 microg per wound in 30 microl of fibrin). However, the maturity of the vessels induced by HIF-1alpha deltaODD was significantly higher than that induced by VEGF-A165 protein, as shown by stabilization of the neovessels with smooth muscle. Nonviral, local administration of this potent angiogenesis-inducing gene by using this peptide vector represents a powerful approach in tissue engineering and therapeutic angiogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mesenchymal cells: a vehicle for gene therapy.

T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation is associated with delayed immunological reconstitution. Bone marrow stroma and interleukin 7 (IL-7) regulate homeostasis of T lymphocytes. We engineered human stromal cells with a retroviral vector containing the IL-7 gene and studied in vitro effects on T cells. Human stromal cells were successfully transduced and generated a layer that was morphologically and phenotypically normal. IL-7-engineered stromal cells conserve the biological properties of unmanipulated stromal cells. Through their production of IL-7, they enhance survival and homeostatic proliferation of naive T cells. Because of this cytokine production, they might be an ideal vehicle for gene therapy aimed at supporting lymphopoiesis in the T cell-deficient host.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Lidar detection of underwater objects using a neuro-SVM-based architecture.

This paper presents a neural network architecture using a support vector machine (SVM) as an inference engine (IE) for classification of light detection and ranging (Lidar) data. Lidar data gives a sequence of laser backscatter intensities obtained from laser shots generated from an airborne object at various altitudes above the earth surface. Lidar data is pre-filtered to remove high frequency noise. As the Lidar shots are taken from above the earth surface, it has some air backscatter information, which is of no importance for detecting underwater objects. Because of these, the air backscatter information is eliminated from the data and a segment of this data is subsequently selected to extract features for classification. This is then encoded using linear predictive coding (LPC) and polynomial approximation. The coefficients thus generated are used as inputs to the two branches of a parallel neural architecture. The decisions obtained from the two branches are vector multiplied and the result is fed to an SVM-based IE that presents the final inference. Two parallel neural architectures using multilayer perception (MLP) and hybrid radial basis function (HRBF) are considered in this paper. The proposed structure fits the Lidar data classification task well due to the inherent classification efficiency of neural networks and accurate decision-making capability of SVM. A Bayesian classifier and a quadratic classifier were considered for the Lidar data classification task but they failed to offer high prediction accuracy. Furthermore, a single-layered artificial neural network (ANN) classifier was also considered and it failed to offer good accuracy. The parallel ANN architecture proposed in this paper offers high prediction accuracy (98.9%) and is found to be the most suitable architecture for the proposed task of Lidar data classification.

Algorithms↗

Infection of lepidoptera with a pseudotyped retroviral vector.

Studies requiring the introduction and expression of manipulated gene constructs have been technically difficult in non-drosophilid insects. Retroviruses can be engineered to be replication defective and to serve as vectors for gene constructs of interest. In this study, pseudotyped MoMLV(VSV-G) retroviral vectors are shown to successfully infect lepidopteran cells in vitro and in vivo. In Spodoptera frugiperda cells in vitro and in Manduca sexta in vivo, infection and conversion to proviral DNA were confirmed by PCR amplification and Southern blot hybridization of vector-specific sequences. Gene expression and integration of proviral DNA were also documented in vitro. This is the first report of retroviral infection in lepidoptera and suggests that pseudotyped retroviral vectors could be powerful tools in gene manipulation studies of non-drosophilid insects.

Animals↗

Generation of small fusion genes carrying phleomycin resistance and Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase reporter properties: their application in retroviral vectors.

We have used the Drosophila ADH cDNA to engineer new fusion genes carrying both reporter activity and bleomycin/phleomycin resistance (Sh ble). Cassettes of ADH::Sh ble, Sh ble::ADH, or ADH::Sh ble::ADH with or without polyadenylation signals were constructed. Placed under the control of the strong CMV promoter, these constructs induced intense ADH substrate staining and phleomycin resistance, whatever the position of the ADH gene, in avian or mammalian cell lines. SW-based nonreplicative retroviral vectors were constructed and introduced into the appropriate packaging cell line. Titers up to 10(6) ADH forming units/ml of viral supernatant were obtained except for the ADH::Sh ble::ADH construct, which reached 10(5) ADH forming units. These retroviral vectors were inoculated to the E3 chick embryo via the coelom. Three days later, cells from different organs were put in culture for 24 h and stained to detect ADH activity. A large number of positive cells were found in cultures from all organs. The new fusion genes described here are, to our knowledge, the smallest (1.1 kb) published to date that carry both reporter and drug resistance properties. These genes represent the basis of a new retroviral vector model with three distinct properties in two genetic units; their advantage is to reduce the size and increase the efficiency of the vector.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Transforming Plant Viruses into Vectors for Next-Generation Agriculture-A Review.

Plant viral vectors have evolved from tools for transient gene expression into a versatile platform for precise genetic intervention, offering a rapid, transgene-free alternative to conventional crop transformation. This review critically assesses their engineering for scalable field application, moving beyond foundational techniques like virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). We highlight how advanced vector design, including deconstructed genomes and synthetic regulatory circuits enhances cargo capacity, specificity, and biosafety. The integration of viral delivery with CRISPR-Cas systems has unlocked virus-induced genome editing (VIGE), base editing, and prime editing, enabling heritable trait modification without tissue culture. However, the transition from proof-of-concept in model plants to robust field technology hinges on overcoming critical bottlenecks: expanding host range through chimeric vectors, ensuring environmental containment, and developing scalable delivery methods such as nano-formulations or adjusted agroinfiltration protocols. We evaluate these delivery routes and emerging synergies with nanobiotechnology for targeted and efficient applications. While challenges in regulation, public perception, and large-scale production persist, the strategic engineering of viral vectors for stability, specificity, and safety positions them as a transformative, next-generation biotechnological input for achieving sustainable crop improvement and protection under changing climatic conditions.

Plant Viruses↗

Adenovirus vectors: biology, design, and production.

The use of adenovirus as a gene transfer vehicle arose from early reports of recombinant viruses carrying heterologous DNA fragments. Adenovirus vectors offer many advantages for gene delivery: they are easy to propagate to high titers, they can infect most cell types regardless of their growth state, and in their most recent embodiments they can accommodate large DNA inserts. In this chapter, the development of adenovirus vectors is reviewed, from the use of so-called first-generation, E1-deleted viruses to the latest generation high-capacity, helper-dependent vectors. Examples of their use in the clinic are described, as are the current areas in which improvements to these vectors are being explored.

Adenoviridae↗

Chloroplast genetic engineering to improve agronomic traits.

Major crop losses occur annually as a result of biotic and abiotic stresses. The ability to hyperexpress foreign proteins, single-step multigene engineering, lack of positive effect and gene silencing, vector sequences and pleiotropic effects have resulted in several hundred-fold more tolerance to the environmental stresses via chloroplast genetic engineering than nuclear genetic engineering. Maternal inheritance of chloroplast expressed transgenes renders the technology environmentally safe and promotes public acceptance. This review provides protocols for engineering agronomic traits like insect, herbicide and disease resistance; salt and drought tolerance; and phyto-remediation via chloroplast genome.

Animals↗

Individual and bivalent vaccines based on alphavirus replicons protect guinea pigs against infection with Lassa and Ebola viruses.

Lassa and Ebola viruses cause acute, often fatal, hemorrhagic fever diseases, for which no effective vaccines are currently available. Although lethal human disease outbreaks have been confined so far to sub-Saharan Africa, they also pose significant epidemiological concern worldwide as demonstrated by several instances of accidental importation of the viruses into North America and Europe. In the present study, we developed experimental individual vaccines for Lassa virus and bivalent vaccines for Lassa and Ebola viruses that are based on an RNA replicon vector derived from an attenuated strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. The Lassa and Ebola virus genes were expressed from recombinant replicon RNAs that also encoded the replicase function and were capable of efficient intracellular self-amplification. For vaccinations, the recombinant replicons were incorporated into virus-like replicon particles. Guinea pigs vaccinated with particles expressing Lassa virus nucleoprotein or glycoprotein genes were protected from lethal challenge with Lassa virus. Vaccination with particles expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein gene also protected the animals from lethal challenge with Ebola virus. In order to evaluate a single vaccine protecting against both Lassa and Ebola viruses, we developed dual-expression particles that expressed glycoprotein genes of both Ebola and Lassa viruses. Vaccination of guinea pigs with either dual-expression particles or with a mixture of particles expressing Ebola and Lassa virus glycoprotein genes protected the animals against challenges with Ebola and Lassa viruses. The results showed that immune responses can be induced against multiple vaccine antigens coexpressed from an alphavirus replicon and suggested the possibility of engineering multivalent vaccines based upon alphavirus vectors for arenaviruses, filoviruses, and possibly other emerging pathogens.

Alphavirus↗

A systematic capsid evolution approach performed in vivo for the design of AAV vectors with tailored properties and tropism.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid modification enables the generation of recombinant vectors with tailored properties and tropism. Most approaches to date depend on random screening, enrichment, and serendipity. The approach explored here, called BRAVE (barcoded rational AAV vector evolution), enables efficient selection of engineered capsid structures on a large scale using only a single screening round in vivo. The approach stands in contrast to previous methods that require multiple generations of enrichment. With the BRAVE approach, each virus particle displays a peptide, derived from a protein, of known function on the AAV capsid surface, and a unique molecular barcode in the packaged genome. The sequencing of RNA-expressed barcodes from a single-generation in vivo screen allows the mapping of putative binding sequences from hundreds of proteins simultaneously. Using the BRAVE approach and hidden Markov model-based clustering, we present 25 synthetic capsid variants with refined properties, such as retrograde axonal transport in specific subtypes of neurons, as shown for both rodent and human dopaminergic neurons.

barcoding↗

Co-transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells transduced with IL-7 gene enhances immune reconstitution after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is followed by a period of profound immune deficiency, which results in significant susceptibility to infections and limits the extensive application of this approach in clinic. Here, we transduced human interleukin-7 (IL-7) gene into donor-derived bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) using adenovirus vector, and transplanted this gene-engineered MSCs (MSC-IL-7) into lethally irradiated C57BL/6 mice to investigate their effects on immune reconstitution following allo-BMT. Recipient mice receiving MSC-IL-7 cells plus T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells of BALB/c mice showed a significant increase in thymopoiesis and homeostatic expansion of peripheral T lymphocytes. Furthermore, injection of MSC-IL-7 cells following allo-BMT protected the host from the lethality caused by acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and prevented the occurrence of GVHD induced by transplanted T cells. Thus, the use of MSC-IL-7 cells may be therapeutically useful for enhancing immune reconstitution without aggravating GVHD in allo-BMT mice.

Adenoviridae↗

Functional expression and direct visualization of the human alpha 2B -adrenergic receptor and alpha 2B -AR-green fluorescent fusion protein in mammalian cell using Semliki Forest virus vectors.

The alpha 2B -adrenergic receptor ( alpha 2B -AR), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, was expressed at high levels from Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vectors in mammalian cells. Constructs were engineered by fusing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and the SFV capsid to opposite ends of the alpha 2B -AR. The receptor fusions alpha 2B -AR-eGFP and CAP- alpha 2B -AR expressed in CHO-K1 cells generated alpha 2B values of 176 and 122pmol/mg of membrane protein, respectively, and showed similar ligand binding characteristics, alpha 2B -AR subtype-selectivity, and G protein activation as reported for stable expression in CHO-K1 cells. Cryo-electron microscopy and eGFP-based fluorescence indicated the same subcellular receptor distribution. SFV expression is well suited for studies on the pharmacology, biochemistry, and cell biology of GPCRs, and for large-scale recombinant protein production in mammalian suspension culture to generate sufficient receptor quantities for structural biology.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists↗