Efficiency of transduction by recombinant Sindbis replicon virus varies among cell lines, including mosquito cells and rat sensory neurons.

Recombinant alphaviruses have been used as vehicles for delivery and expression of heterologous genes in mammalian, avian and insect cell lines. We have used a Sindbis replicon virus (Sinreplac) able to express the E. coli lacZ gene to compare the efficiency of transduction in one insect, six mammalian cell lines and cultured rat dorsal neurons which apparently express beta-galactosidase over a 30-day time period. Results show that different cell lines were transduced with varying degrees of efficiency and that this efficiency could be improved in some cell lines by packaging the replicon with a helper derived from a more neurovirulent strain of Sindbis.