Neomycin resistance as a dominant selectable marker for selection and isolation of vaccinia virus recombinants.

The antibiotic G418 was shown to be an effective inhibitor of vaccinia virus replication when an appropriate concentration of it was added to cell monolayers 48 h before infection. Genetic engineering techniques were used in concert with DNA transfection protocols to construct vaccinia virus recombinants containing the neomycin resistance gene (neo) from transposon Tn5. These recombinants contained the neo gene linked in either the correct or incorrect orientation relative to the vaccinia virus 7.5-kilodalton gene promoter which is expressed constitutively throughout the course of infection. The vaccinia virus recombinant containing the chimeric neo gene in the proper orientation was able to grow and form plaques in the presence of G418, whereas both the wild-type and the recombinant virus with the neo gene in the opposite polarity were inhibited by more than 98%. The effect of G418 on virus growth may be mediated at least in part by selective inhibition of the synthesis of a subset of late viral proteins. These results are discussed with reference to using this system, the conferral of resistance to G418 with neo as a positive selectable marker, to facilitate constructing vaccinia virus recombinants which contain foreign genes of interest.     

表达人乳头瘤病毒58型L1、L2壳蛋白的非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗株的构建

采用PCR定点突变方法,对HPV581L1基因中痘苗病毒早期基因转录终止信号TTTTTNT结构进行修饰,并保留氨基酸不变.选用非复制型重组痘苗病毒为载体,将修饰的L1基因1.5kb和L2基因1.4kb分别插入痘苗病毒表达载体pJSD的7.5k和H6早期启动子之后,使之与非复制型重组痘苗病毒在TK区重组.经单斑筛选纯化,获得共表达HPV58L1、L2晚期蛋白的非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗实验株.该病毒在CEF细胞上连续传至第15代,经斑点杂交分析,重组痘苗病毒基因组中有L1和L2基因插入;经Western blot检测,重组病毒能稳定表达HPV581L1及L2蛋白.此结果为HPV58型非复制型重组痘苗病毒疫苗人用株的研究打下了基础.     

Down Regulation of Gene Expression by the Vaccinia Virus D10 Protein

Vaccinia virus genes are expressed in a sequential fashion, suggesting a role for negative as well as positive regulatory mechanisms. A potential down regulator of gene expression was mapped by transfection assays to vaccinia virus open reading frame D10, which encodes a protein with no previously known function. Inhibition was independent of the promoter type used for the reporter gene, indicating that the mechanism did not involve promoter sequence recognition. The inhibition was overcome, however, when the open reading frame of the reporter gene was preceded by the encephalomyocarditis virus internal ribosome entry site, which excludes the possibility of nonspecific metabolic or other antiviral effects and suggests that capped mRNAs or cap-dependent translation might be the target of the D10 product. The inducible overexpression of the D10 gene by a recombinant vaccinia virus severely inhibited viral protein synthesis, decreased the steady-state level of viral late mRNA, and blocked the formation of infectious virus.     

Expression of beta-galactosidase in recombinant nonintegrated plasmids in evaluating the functional activity of vaccinia virus promoters

The recombinant plasmids pVL1 and pVL2 were constructed for insertion and expression of alien genetic information in HindIII-F fragment of vaccinia virus DNA under the control of the strong early-late promoter of the protein 7.5. The late promoter of the main late protein 11K of vaccinia virus was cloned. These as well as other vector plasmids have been used to express the procaryotic beta-galactosidase gene. Functional activity of the genetic engineering constructions was estimated by transitory expression of beta-galactosidase after plasmid DNA transfection into the chicken fibroblasts embryo culture infected with vaccinia virus. The promoters of the genes for 7.5K and 11K proteins permitted the high level of beta-galactosidase expression. Using of the early promoter of the central part of HindIII-F fragment DNA from vaccinia virus was less efficient for expression of the enzyme.     

Conditional expression of foreign genes by temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus

To assess the utility of two temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant vaccinia viruses as vectors for the conditional in vitro expression of recombinant foreign genes, we have studied the kinetics of expression of foreign genes incorporated into these viruses. At nonpermissive temperature, 40 degrees C, these viruses were defective either in DNA synthesis or in virus assembly. Foreign gene expression was affected by the nature of the ts lesion and by the nature of the vaccinia promoter positioned upstream from the foreign gene. With both vector viruses, a foreign gene controlled by the p7.5 early-late promoter was expressed at both 33 degrees and 40 degrees C. With the DNA synthesis-defective vector virus, foreign gene expression controlled by the p11 DNA synthesis-dependent late promoter was inhibited at 40 degrees C, but could be turned on by shift to 33 degrees C. This ts expression system provides an alternative to use of drugs that inhibit DNA synthesis as a means for experimental manipulation of gene expression. Both vector viruses can be used with existing vaccinia virus expression technology.