AAVPG: A vigilant vector where transgene expression is induced by p53

•AAV vector where transgene expression is controlled by the tumor suppressor p53.•The new vector, AAVPG, shown to function as a biosensor of p53 activity, in vitro and in vivo.•The p53 activity monitored by the AAVPG vector is relevant to cancer and other diseases.•AAVPG reporter gene expression was activated upon DNA damage, hypoxia and mechanical stress.

Using p53 to drive transgene expression from viral vectors may provide on demand expression in response to physiologic stress, such as hypoxia or DNA damage. Here we introduce AAVPG, an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector where a p53-responsive promoter, termed PG, is used to control transgene expression. In vitro assays show that expression from the AAVPG-luc vector was induced specifically in the presence of functional p53 (1038±202 fold increase, p<0.001). The AAVPG-luc vector was an effective biosensor of p53 activation in response to hypoxia (4.48±0.6 fold increase in the presence of 250 µM CoCl2, p<0.001) and biomechanical stress (2.53±0.4 fold increase with stretching, p<0.05). In vivo, the vigilant nature of the AAVPG-luc vector was revealed after treatment of tumor-bearing mice with doxorubicin (pre-treatment, 3.4×105±0.43×105 photons/s; post-treatment, 6.6×105±2.1×105 photons/s, p<0.05). These results indicate that the AAVPG vector is an interesting option for detecting p53 activity both in vitro and in vivo.