Abstract

The development of the integration-competent, herpes simplex virus/Sleeping Beauty (HSV/SB) amplicon vector platform has created a means to efficiently and stably deliver therapeutic transcription units (termed "transgenons") to neurons within the mammalian brain. Furthermore, an investigation into the transposition capacity of the HSV/SB vector system revealed that the amplicon genome provides an optimal substrate for the transposition of transgenons at least 12 kb in length [de Silva, S., Mastrangelo, M.A., Lotta, L.T., Jr., Burris, C.A., Federoff, H.J., and Bowers, W.J. ( 2010 ). Gene Ther. 17, 424-431]. These results prompted an investigation into the factors that may contribute toward efficient transposition from the HSV/SB amplicon. One of the cellular cofactors known to play a key role during SB-mediated transposition is the high-mobility group DNA-binding protein-1 (HMGB1). Our present investigation into the role of HMGB1 during amplicon-based transposition revealed that transposition is not strictly dependent on the presence of cellular HMGB1, contrary to what had been previously demonstrated with plasmid-based SB transposition. We have shown for the first time that during amplicon preparation, biologically active HMGB1 derived from the packaging cell line is copackaged into amplicon vector particles. As a result, HSV/SB amplicon virions arrive prearmed with HMGB1 protein at levels sufficient for facilitating SB-mediated transposition in the transduced mammalian cell.