Adeno-Associated Virus 2 (AAV2) - induced RPA exhaustion generates cellular DNA damage and restricts viral gene expression

Parvoviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that have been modified to serve as vehicles for therapeutic transgene delivery in the form of recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (rAAV2) vectors or rodent parvovirus-derived oncolytic agents. Infection with viruses of the Parvoviridae family induces a cellular DNA Damage Response (DDR) signal that supports virus replication. However, it remains unknown whether rAAV2 vectors or non-replicative AAV2 genomes induce cellular DDR signals, which might be deleterious to the cell. To determine the impact of AAV2/rAAV2 genomes on the integrity of the host chromosome, we have pulsed AAV2/rAAV2 infected cells with BrdU analogs followed by single-molecule imaging of the cellular replisomes and proteomic analysis of the host replication forks. We discovered that non-replicative AAV2/rAAV2 genomes are sufficient to induce replication stress on the host genome, leading to DDR signals in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, infection with replication-competent AAV2 leads to enrichment of replication stress proteins, DNA repair factors and RNA processing machinery on cellular replication forks. However, neither the AAV2 Inverted Terminal Repeats (ITRs) that are retained in rAAV2s nor empty capsids are sufficient to induce host-cell replication stress. Strikingly, incoming AAV2 genomes associate with the single-stranded DNA binding protein RPA in host cells in a dose-dependent manner, progressively shortening cellular replication forks. These elevated levels of AAV2-induced cellular replication stress eventually leads to accumulation of DDR signals in the nucleus. Chemical inhibition of RPA activity and RNAi-mediated knockdown leads to de-repression of the AAV2 genome, increasing Rep 68/78 gene expression. Ectopic expression of RPA rescues AAV2-induced replication stress. Taken together, our findings suggest that depletion of cellular stores of RPA molecules by competing AAV2 genomes restrict viral gene expression and cause cellular DNA damage. AUTHOR SUMMARYAdeno-Associated Viruses 2 (AAV2) are modified to design therapeutic gene therapy vectors, but how they interact with the guardians of host DNA remains unknown. In this work, we show that AAV2 genomes compete with the host cell for the single-stranded DNA binding protein RPA, rendering the host vulnerable to replication stress leading to both suppression of the viral gene expression and induction of cellular DNA breaks. These findings provide insights into how gene therapies delivered at high doses could have genotoxic effects, underscoring the importance of engineering AAV2-based gene therapy platforms that express efficiently at lower doses.