Patent ID: 6844192

Claim:
A method of packaging a recombinant viral vector, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a packaging cell, said packaging cell containing and expressing a nucleic acid encoding a mutant adenovirus E4orf6 protein, said E4orf6 protein containing at least one mutation in the region encoding amino acids 230 to 260 wherein said at least one mutation comprises a substitution mutation at position 240, 241, 243, 244, 248, or 251; (b) transfecting or infecting said packaging cell with a nucleic acid that encodes a recombinant viral vector selected from the group consisting of adenovirus vectors and adeno- associated virus vectors, wherein said vector lacks a functional gene encoding E4orf6 protein; and wherein said mutation renders said mutant adenovirus E4orf6 protein non-toxic to said transfected cells; (c) culturing said transfected cells under conditions that permit expression of the mutant E4orf6 protein and the production of packaged recombinant viral vector therein: and then (d) collecting packaged recombinant viral vector from said cultured cells.