Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2000 Aug;53(4):173-6.
doi: 10.1136/mp.53.4.173.

Retroviral vectors

K M Kurian  1 , C J Watson, A H Wyllie
Affiliations
Review

Retroviral vectors

K M Kurian et al. Mol Pathol. 2000 Aug.

Abstract

Traditionally, the retrovirus is regarded as an enemy to be overcome. However, for the past two decades retroviruses have been harnessed as vehicles for transferring genes into eukaryotic cells, a process known as transduction. During this time, the technology has moved from being a scientific laboratory tool to a potential clinical molecular medicine to be used in gene therapy. This review explains the strategy for harnessing the retrovirus life cycle, the scientific research and clinical applications of this methodology, and its limitations, as well as possible future developments.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The murine leukaemia retrovirus life cycle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The production of retrovirus and infection of target cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Examples of the applications of retroviral vectors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Stoker AW. Retroviral vectors. In: Davison AJ, Elliot RM, eds. Molecular virology: a practical approach. Oxford: IRL Press, 1993:171–97.
    1. Vile RG, Russell SJ. Retroviruses as vectors. Br Med Bull 1995;51:12–30. - PubMed
    1. Brown PO. Integration of retroviral DNA. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 1990;157:19. - PubMed
    1. Weiss RA, Tailor CS. Retrovirus receptors. Cell 1995;82:531–3. - PubMed
    1. Weiss RA. Retroviruses. Nature 1998;392:561.

Publication types