Adenoviral assembly method

1. A method of making a recombinant adenovirus, comprising:

(i) assembling an adenoviral core module destination vector by combining a hybridization competent vector backbone with one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules by sequence and ligation independent cloning (SLIC), wherein the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules form a core module that is at least 12 kb in length and the gene modules are selected from the group consisting of an E2-L2 module, an L3-L4 module, both an E2-L2 module and an L3-L4 module, and an E2-L4 module, wherein the E2-L2 module comprises adenovirus E2B, L1 and L2 regions, the L3-L4 module comprises adenovirus L3, E2A and L4 regions, and the E2-L4 module comprises adenovirus E2B, L1, L2, L3, E2A and L4 regions;

(ii) contacting the adenoviral core module destination vector with an endonuclease to form a linear core module destination vector;

(iii) contacting the linear core module destination vector with an exonuclease to form a hybridization competent core module destination vector, wherein the hybridization competent core module destination vector comprises a mammalian I-SceI expression cassette; and

(iv) assembling an adenovirus genome that is at least 24 k kb in length by contacting the hybridization competent core module destination vector with one or more hybridization competent gene modules, wherein the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules are selected from the group consisting of an E1 module, an E3 module, and an E4 module, and wherein the E1 module comprises an adenovirus E1A region, an adenovirus E1B region, or both adenovirus E1A and E1B regions, the E3 module comprises adenovirus E3 and L5 regions, and the E4 module comprises an adenovirus E4 region, thereby making a recombinant adenovirus.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybridization competent core module destination vector comprises a p15A origin of replication.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core module is at least 14 kb in length.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core module consists of an E2-L2 module and an L3-L4 module.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core module consists of an E2-L4 module.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hybridization competent core module destination vector and the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules comprise a single-stranded nucleic acid overhang of about 20 to about 25 bases in length.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hybridization competent core module destination vector and the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules comprise a single-stranded nucleic acid overhang on each terminus.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules of step (i) or step (iv), or both step (i) and step (iv), by:

contacting circular adenoviral gene modules or adenoviral gene modules contained within a circular plasmid with an endonuclease, thereby forming linear adenoviral gene modules; and

contacting the linear adenoviral gene modules with an exonuclease, thereby forming the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transfecting the adenovirus genome into a cell.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adenovirus genome is capable of forming a recombinant adenovirus when expressed in a cell.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adenovirus genome is a partial adenovirus genome construct that is capable of forming a recombinant adenovirus when expressed in a complementing cell line or when expressed in a cell with a helper virus.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more hybridization competent adenoviral gene modules comprises one or more modifications relative to the wild type adenovirus from which the gene module is derived.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adenovirus genome is at least 28 kb.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adenovirus genome is at least 32 kb.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adenovirus genome is at least 36 kb.