Signal for packaging of influenza virus vector
The invention provides a packaging (incorporation) signal for influenza virus vectors, and methods of using the signal to transmit and maintain influenza viral and foreign nucleic acid in virus and cells.
1. An influenza viral vector, comprising influenza virus incorporation sequences, which vector comprises:
sequences corresponding to the 3′ noncoding region of influenza virus HA vRNA and HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences, a nucleic acid segment for a heterologous open reading frame which encodes a gene product, and HA coding sequences which include 5′ HA incorporation sequences and the 5′ noncoding region of HA vRNA, wherein the HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences include at least 3 nucleotides of 5′ HA coding sequence and the HA coding sequences which include the 5′ HA incorporation sequences have no more than 1011 nucleotides of 3′ HA coding sequences.
2. The vector of claim 1 wherein the 5′ HA incorporation sequences include at least 80 nucleotides corresponding to the 80 3N coding nucleotides of HA.
3. The vector of claim 1 wherein the 5′ HA incorporation sequences include at least 291 nucleotides corresponding to the 291 3N coding nucleotides of HA.
4. The vector of claim 1 wherein the 3′ HA incorporation sequences include at least 9 nucleotides corresponding to the first 9 coding nucleotides for HA.
5. The vector of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an internal ribosome entry sequence.
6. The vector of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a marker gene.
7. The vector of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for an immunogenic protein or a peptide of a pathogen, or a therapeutic protein.
8. The vector of claim 1 wherein incorporation sequences are from a type A influenza virus.
9. The vector of claim 1 wherein the incorporation sequences are from a type B influenza virus.
10. The vector of claim 1 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment is fused to another nucleic acid segment so as to encode a fusion protein.
11. A recombinant influenza virus comprising a vRNA corresponding to the vector of claim 1 .
12. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a marker gene.
13. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for an immunogenic protein or peptide of a pathogen.
14. The recombinant virus of claim 13 wherein the open reading frame encodes an influenza virus HA protein.
15. The recombinant virus of claim 13 wherein the open reading frame encodes an influenza virus NA protein.
16. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a transmembrane protein.
17. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a protein with membrane fusing activity.
18. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a viral capsid protein.
19. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for vesicular stomatitis virus G protein.
20. The recombinant virus of claim 11 wherein the heterologous nucleic acid segment comprises sequences corresponding to an open reading frame for a therapeutic protein.
21. The recombinant virus of claim 14 wherein the influenza virus HA protein is a type B HA protein.
22. A method to express a heterologous nucleic acid segment in a cell, comprising: contacting a cell with the recombinant virus of claim 11 and detecting or determining whether a product encoded by the heterologous nucleic acid segment is expressed in the cell.
23. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising sequences corresponding to the 3′ noncoding region of influenza virus HA vRNA which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences, a nucleic acid segment for a heterologous open reading frame which encodes a gene product, and influenza virus 5′ HA incorporation sequences that include sequences corresponding to the 3′ coding region of HA, wherein the 3′ HA coding region is no more than 1011 nucleotides, and wherein the nucleic acid molecule does not include incorporation sequences corresponding to the 5′ HA coding region.
24. The vector of claim 1 wherein vRNA corresponding to the vector, when present in the cell, is packaged into virions at an efficiency at least 10% that of a corresponding wild-type vRNA.
25. The vector of claim 1 wherein vRNA corresponding to the vector, when present in the cell, is packaged into virions at an efficiency at least 30% that of a corresponding wild-type vRNA.
26. The vector of claim 1 wherein vRNA corresponding to the vector, when present in the cell, is packaged into virions at an efficiency at least 60% that of a corresponding wild-type vRNA.
27. A vector comprising sequences corresponding to the 3′ noncoding region of influenza virus HA vRNA and HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences, a nucleic acid segment for a heterologous open reading frame which encodes a gene product, and HA coding sequences which include 5′ HA incorporation sequences and the 5′ noncoding region of HA vRNA, wherein the HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences include at least 3 nucleotides of 5′ HA coding sequence and the HA coding sequences which include the 5′ HA incorporation sequences have no more than 1011 nucleotides of 3′ HA coding sequences.
28. An influenza viral vector, comprising influenza virus incorporation sequences, which vector comprises:
sequences corresponding to the 3′ noncoding region of influenza virus HA vRNA and HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences, a nucleic acid segment for a heterologous open reading frame which encodes a gene product, and HA coding sequences which include 5′ HA incorporation sequences and the 5′ noncoding region of HA vRNA, wherein the HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences include no more than 966 nucleotides of 5′ HA coding sequence and the HA coding sequences which include the 5′ HA incorporation sequences have at least 54 nucleotides of 3′ HA coding sequences.
29. A vector comprising sequences corresponding to the 3′ noncoding region of influenza virus HA vRNA and HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences, a nucleic acid segment for a heterologous open reading frame which encodes a gene product, and HA coding sequences which include 5′ HA incorporation sequences and the 5′ noncoding region of HA vRNA, wherein the HA coding sequences which include 3′ HA incorporation sequences include no more than 966 nucleotides of 5′ HA coding sequence and the HA coding sequences which include the 5′ HA incorporation sequences have at least 54 nucleotides of 3′ HA coding sequences.
30. The vector of claim 1 or 27 wherein the 5′ HA incorporation sequences have no more than 513 nucleotides of 3N HA coding sequences.
31. The vector of claim 28 or 29 wherein the 3′ HA incorporation sequences have no more than 468 nucleotides of 5′ HA coding sequences.