AAV1-CaMKII-GCaMP6m

AAV is classified in the family Parvoviridae and the genus Dependovirus. This classification is based on the fact that AAV relies on co-infection with an unrelated helper virus (e.g., adenovirus, herpes virus, human cytomegalovirus, or papillomavirus) to establish infection. To date, multiple serotypes and variants have been described, either as contaminants of adenoviral preparations or isolated from integrated proviral sequences found in rodent, non-human primate, and human tissues. All AAV serotypes contain a single-stranded DNA genome of approximately 5 kb that is packaged into an icosahedral, non-enveloped capsid that can be divided into three functional regions: two open reading frames (ORFs; rep and cap) and inverted terminal repeats (ITRs). The ITRs form two T-shaped structures at the 5' and 3' ends of the AAV genome that serve as origins of replication and play a key role in the integration of the viral genome into the host genome and the subsequent rescue of the viral DNA from the integrated state. The rep ORF encodes a family of multifunctional nonstructural proteins (Rep) that are involved in viral/vector genome replication, transcriptional control, integration, and encapsidation of the AAV genome into preformed capsids. The 3'-ORF cap encodes three capsid proteins, VP1, VP2, and VP3, which are largely identical in amino acid sequence except for the N-terminus. Differences between the capsid protein sequences of different AAV serotypes result in the use of different cell surface receptors for cell entry. Combined with alternative intracellular processing, this results in different tissue tropisms for each AAV serotype.