Proviral plasmids contain a modular gene expression cassette with one or a combination of (i) a wildtype 5′ AAV2 ITR sequence flanked by unique restriction sites that permit ready removal or replacement of said ITR; (ii) a promoter flanked by unique restriction sites that permit ready removal or replacement of the entire promoter sequence; (iii) a polylinker sequence that permits insertion of a gene coding sequence without modification thereof, wherein the gene is operatively linked to, and under the regulatory control of, the aforementioned promoter; (iv) a bovine growth hormone polyadenylation sequence flanked by unique restriction sites that permit ready removal or replacement of said polyA sequence; and (v) a wildtype 3′ AAV2 ITR sequence flanked by unique restriction sites that permit ready removal or replacement of the 3′ ITR. These plasmids enable rapid manipulation of the components of the cassette, e.g., rapid mutation and/or replacement of any component, and thereby increase the efficiency of recombinant viral vector, e.g., rAAV, production.