When the 96 h protocol was used in combination with the spleen focus forming virus (SFFV)/murine embryonic stem cell (MESV) hybrid vector SFbeta11-EGFP, high transduction rates for CD45+ (41.0 +/- 5.3%) and CD34+ (38.5 +/- 3.7%) cells prior to transplantation, as well as efficient human cell engraftment in NOD/SCID mice 4 weeks after transplantation (32.4 +/- 3.5%), was detected.
Lack of CD45 leads to severe combined immunodeficiency, and alterations of CD45 splicing, because of a polymorphism in exon 4, have been associated with altered immune function.
Therefore, introduction of a functional CD45 minigene is sufficient to overcome the principal severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)-associated defects and represents a potential route to a gene therapy for human CD45-deficent SCID.