Determination of AAV properties by single amino acids: Go(o)d is in the details

Abstract

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has gathered substantial attention as a gene transfer vector in humans owing to its numerous assets, including amenability to genetic engineering and repurposing. Equally attractive is the wealth of natural AAV variants that can be harnessed as vectors or molecularly evolved into designer AAVs. A particularly interesting group of 15 variants dubbed AAVHSC, related to AAV clade F and differing from each other by one to four amino acids, was isolated from CD34+ human hematopoietic stem cells.