Development of non-integrative autonomously replicating vectors for epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cells

Abstract

The idea of the project is to utilize the genome of well-described alphavirus VEE as vector for delivery and expression of the human pluripotency factors used for epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cells, namely Nanog, Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. To date, no non-integrative viral vectors for epigenetic reprogramming of cells are available, except for the system utilizing the genome of negative strand RNA-virus, Sendai paramyxovirus.