Production of rAAV by plasmid transfection induces antiviral and inflammatory responses in suspension HEK293 cells
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ABSTRACT: Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is a clinically proven viral vector for delivery of therapeutic genes to treat rare diseases. Improving rAAV manufacturing productivity and vector quality is necessary to meet clinical and commercial demand. These goals will require an improved understanding of the cellular response to rAAV production, which is poorly defined. We interrogated the kinetic transcriptional response of HEK293 cells to rAAV production following transient plasmid transfection, under manufacturing-relevant conditions, using RNA-seq. Time-series analyses identified a robust cellular response to transfection and rAAV production, with 1,850 transcripts differentially expressed. Gene Ontology analysis determined upregulated pathways, including inflammatory and antiviral responses, with several interferon-stimulated cytokines and chemokines being upregulated at the protein level. Literature-based pathway prediction implicated multiple pathogen pattern sensors and signal transducers in up-regulation of inflammatory and antiviral responses in response to transfection and rAAV replication. Systematic analysis of the cellular transcriptional response to rAAV production indicates that host cells actively sense vector manufacture as an infectious insult. This dataset may therefore illuminate genes and pathways that influence rAAV production, thereby enabling the rational design of next-generation manufacturing platforms to support safe, effective, and affordable AAV-based gene therapies. Graphical abstract HEK cells respond to rAAV gene therapy vector production following triple transfection by inducing inflammatory cytokines and antiviral genes. This suggests that HEK cells may actively inhibit rAAV replication and illuminates potential engineering targets to create next-generation host cells with improved productivity.
SUBMITTER: Chung C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9937832 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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