Generation of fiber‐modified adenovirus vectors containing heterologous peptides in both the HI loop and C terminus of the fiber knob

Abstract

In the experiment using cultured cells, Ad vectors containing both RGD and K7 peptides were the most efficient with a broader tropism. In contrast, in the experiment in vivo, Ad vectors containing RGD peptide in the HI loop of the fiber knob were more efficient than the vectors containing K7 peptide (including double-modified vectors containing both the RGD and K7 peptides). These comparative analyses could provide a systemic reference for the use of fiber-modified Ad vectors. Our simple method, in which the peptide of interest can be expressed in Ad vectors in either the HI loop or the C terminus of the fiber knob, or both, could be a powerful tool for gene transfer into mammalian cells in studies of gene function as well as in gene therapy.