Cytoplasmic RNA Vector Derived from Nontransmissible Sendai Virus: Production and Use

Sendai virus (SeV) is an enveloped virus with a nonsegmented negativestrand RNA genome of 15,384 nucleotides; it is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family (1 –3 ). The virus is pneumotropic in rodent species such as mice and rats, but no pathogenicity has been reported in humans. SeV has been utilized for generation of hybrid cells between mammalian cells of different species in vitro by use of its cell fusion activity, and it has contributed to somatic cell genetics (4 ). The inactivated SeV has been also used for generation of a fusogenic viral liposome (hemagglutinating virus of Japan, or Sendai virus [HVJ]-liposome), which aimed to improve the efficiency of liposome-mediated DNA transfer (5 ,6 ).