Characterization of Factors That Determine Lentiviral Vector Tropism in Skin Tissue Using an Ex Vivo Model

The study characterized lentiviral vector tropism in skin tissue using an ex vivo model, comparing it to keratinocytes in cell culture. It was found that early progenitor keratinocytes (keratin 15+ and p63+) were resistant to transduction in their native skin environment, while transiently amplifying keratinocytes (keratin 14+) were permissive to transduction both in culture and in skin after epidermis separation. Human hair follicle keratinocytes were resistant to transduction, even with partial collagen digestion, whereas collagenase pretreatment facilitated transduction in mouse tissue. The study concluded that lentiviral vector tropism in skin tissue was distinct from that in cultured keratinocytes and was influenced by extracellular factors, rather than receptor availability.