Liver-specific Gene Delivery Using Engineered Virus-Like Particles of Hepatitis E Virus

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Virology
• Gene Therapy

Background:

• Virus-like particles (VLPs) offer potential for organ-specific drug delivery.
• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) N-terminal truncated second open reading frame (Nt-ORF2) self-assembles into VLPs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of HEV-like particles (HEV-LPs) for specific liver gene delivery.
• To evaluate HEV-LPs as a vehicle for transporting foreign genes to liver cells.

Main Methods:

• HEV-LPs were produced from Nt-ORF2 expression in Huh7 cells and purified.
• Foreign plasmids encoding GFP or Bax were encapsulated into HEV-LPs using disassembly/reassembly.
• HEV-LP gene delivery efficiency was assessed in liver-derived cell lines and tissues.

Main Results:

• Purified HEV-LPs demonstrated efficient penetration into liver cells and tissues.
• HEV-LPs carrying GFP plasmids resulted in higher green fluorescence in Huh7 cells.
• HEV-LPs carrying Bax plasmids induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells.

Conclusions:

• Mammalian cell-produced HEV-LPs can encapsulate and deliver foreign genes to liver cells.
• HEV-LPs show promise for targeted gene expression in the liver.
• This research advances the development of liver-targeted gene therapy strategies.