Replication-competent chimeric lenti-oncovirus with expanded host cell tropism

Baboon bone marrow was grafted into human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected patients in the course of recent trials for AIDS treatment. Since the baboon genome harbors multiple copies of an endogenous oncovirus, chimeric lenti-oncoviruses could emerge in the xenotransplant recipient. To analyze the potential replication competence of hybrid viruses between different genera of retroviruses, we replaced most of the env gene of simian immunodeficiency virus with the env gene of an amphotropic murine leukemia virus. The hybrid virus could be propagated in human T-cell lines, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of rhesus macaques, and in CD4- B-cell lines. Because of the expanded cell tropism, the hybrid virus might have a selective advantage in comparison to parental viruses. Therefore, emerging chimeric viruses may be considered a serious risk of xenotransplantation. A note of caution is also suggested for the use of pseudotyped lentiviral vectors for human gene therapy.