Retroviral vs. Lentiviral packaging - Are the packaging signals compatible? (Nov/29/2006 )

Is it possible to package lentiviral constructs with a standard retroviral packaging system? Obviously the envelope protein would be different, and the host range restricted, my major question is whether the RNA would get packaged within a standard (MMLV) envelope. This should just depend on whether the Psi packaging sequence in the RNA genome is the same between lenti and other retroviruses. Does anyone know if this is the case?

We are interested in using the shRNA lentiviral constructs from the TRC consortium (available from either Sigma or Open Biosystems). We use a modified retroviral packaging system based on MMLV that improves safety and would like to use it with the lenti vectors.

Thanks,
Stuart

I have a similar problem. Do you know if the retroviral packaging system with the TRC shRNAs?

Thanks!