Molecular characterization of caprine adeno-associated virus (AAV-Go.1) reveals striking similarity to human AAV5.

The complete genome of the caprine adeno-associated virus (AAV-Go.1) was sequenced, and the expression profile of AAV-Go.1 was determined following virus infection in primary lamb kidney cells. A remarkable similarity between the Rep coding region, the ITR sequence and the central intron of AAV-Go.1, and the human derived AAV5 was observed. The transcription profile of AAV-Go.1 was also quite similar to that of AAV5. AAV-Go.1 was able to efficiently infect human cell lines, following co-infection of human adenovirus, and in reciprocal experiments, AAV5 also was able to efficiently infect primary lamb cells and bovine cell lines. Recombinant AAV5 and AAV-Go.1 expressing the beta-gal gene flanked by AAV5 ITRs, showed similar transduction efficiency in various human and animal cells. Studies of AAV-Go.1 may expand our understanding of the evolutionary relationship between the AAV-5-like group of AAVs, which, in addition to human derived AAV5, includes AAV viruses from bovine, caprine, and avian species.