Vaccinia virus expression vector: coexpression of beta-galactosidase provides visual screening of recombinant virus plaques.

We constructed a plasmid coexpression vector that directs the insertion of a foreign gene of interest together with the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (beta gal) gene into the thymidine kinase (TK) locus of the vaccinia virus genome. Tissue culture cells that had been infected with vaccinia virus were transfected with a plasmid vector containing a foreign gene. TK- recombinants could be selected by a plaque assay on TK- cells in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine and distinguished from spontaneous TK- mutants by the addition of a beta-gal indicator to the agarose overlay. Plaques that expressed beta-gal stained dark blue within several hours at 37 degrees C. Alternatively, TK- selection could be eliminated, and recombinant plaques could be readily identified solely by their blue color. The reverse procedure, in which the starting virus expresses beta-gal (i.e., forms blue plaques) and the desired recombinant has deleted the entire beta-gal gene (i.e., forms white plaques), is another alternative. Each protocol was tested by constructing vaccinia virus recombinants that express hepatitis B virus surface antigen.     

BK virus-plasmid expression vector that persists episomally in human cells and shuttles into Escherichia coli.

We describe a novel expression vector, pBK TK-1, that persists episomally in human cells that can be shuttled into bacteria. This vector includes sequences from BK virus (BKV), the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of herpes simplex virus type 1, and plasmid pML-1. TK+-transformed HeLa and 143 B cells contained predominantly full-length episomes. There were typically 20 to 40 (HeLa) and 75 to 120 143 B vector copies per cell, although some 143 B transformants contained hundreds. Low-molecular-weight DNA from TK+-transformed cells introduced into Escherichia coli were recovered as plasmids that were indistinguishable from the input vector. Removal of selective pressure had no apparent effect upon the episomal status of pBK TK-1 molecules in TK+-transformed cells. BKV T antigen may play a role in episomal replication of pBK TK-1 since this viral protein was expressed in TK+ transformants and since a plasmid that contained only the BKV origin of replication was highly amplified in BKV-transformed human cells that synthesize BKV T antigen.     

Evidence for allelic exclusion in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Earlier results suggested that the functional hemizygosity of genes in pseudodiploid Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells is due to the silencing of one allele by DNA methylation. From this one could make a strong prediction that we have now been able to confirm by genetic experiments, using thymidine kinase (TK) alleles. TK- mutants induced by ethylmethane sulphonate (EMS) were all revertible to TK+ at high frequency by the demethylating agent 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CR). This revertibility was due to reactivation of a silent nonmutant TK allele. Further mutagenesis by EMS yielded TK- derivatives that were no longer revertible by 5-aza-CR; these are assumed to have mutations in both alleles. TK- cells were also transfected with equine herpes virus TK+ DNA, and the TK+ derivatives were shown to be markedly less stable than cells with the normal TK+ gene. CHO cells lack metallothionein activity (sensitive to cadmium), and also require proline for growth, because genes have become silenced during the establishment of the cell line. In both cases 5-aza-CR reactivates these genes to give the cadmium resistant and proline independent phenotypes. Long-term experiments with reactivants in the absence of selection showed that the genes become silent, presumably as a result of de novo methylation. A strain resistant to cytosine arabinoside (araCR) was also resistant to 5-azadeoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR), but not to 5-aza-CR, which would be expected if the araCR strain lacked deoxycytidine kinase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

De novo methylation as major event in the inactivation of transfected herpesvirus thymidine kinase genes in human cells

Spontaneous inactivation of integrated thymidine kinase genes was studied in three human cell lines, one with multiple copies and two with a single copy of a transfected shuttle plasmid containing two selectable genes: the HSV tk gene and the Eco gpt gene. Selection for gpt expression prevented the isolation of TK- mutants which are the result of plasmid loss. Under these conditions TK- clones were isolated with a frequency of 5.10(-6) both with the cell line containing 5 or 6 copies of the tk gene and with one of the two cell lines containing one copy of this gene. This inactivity of the tk gene was associated with de novo methylation as the number of HAT-resistant (TK+) clones strongly increased after growth of the TK- derivatives in the presence of the demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine. Digestion with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes revealed two different patterns of DNA methylation in the genomic DNA of TK- variants. In the TK- derivatives of the cell line containing multiple copies of the tk gene many HpaII restriction sites in the gene copies were insensitive to digestion. These HpaII sites were, however, not methylated in TK- variants of the cell line containing one copy of the plasmid, and methylated CpGs could be detected only with EcoRI which recognizes the cGAATTCg sequence in the tk promoter region. With the other of the two single-copy TK+ cell lines no TK- mutants were obtained, suggesting that the position of a gene in the genome is an important factor in determining the frequency and the extent of de novo methylation. Additionally, we observed that remethylation is an even more efficient process of gene inactivation as TK+ clones reactivated with 5-azacytidine can become TK- again at a 100-fold higher rate than the original TK+ cell line.     

Genetic linkage but independent expression of functional HSV-1 tk and mammalian aprt genes after cotransfer to L cells

DNA-mediated gene transformation of mouse Ltk-aprt-hprt-cells was used to obtain stable, doubly selected transformants simultaneously expressing herpes virus thymidine kinase (TK) and mammalian adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT). Cotransformants occurred at a frequency of 5 X 10(-6), a similar frequency for the transfer of the aprt marker has been previously observed. Isozyme and Southern blot analysis show that the TK and APRT expressed in these transformants resulted from gene transfer. For one stable cotransformant, [3H]thymidine [( 3H]TdR) selection against TK activity resulted in the loss of APRT activity as well, suggesting that these genes had become genetically linked together. Similarly selection against APRT expression resulted in the loss of a subset of the transferred herpes simplex virus tk genes. 5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) selected TK- variants differed from [3H]TdR selected TK- variants, in that they retained tk genes. However, BUdR-selected variants expressed full levels of APRT. Therefore, even though the transferred tk and aprt genes had become genetically linked together, they were, in this case, independently expressed since these cells were phenotypically TK- and APRT+.     

Phenotypic switching in cells transformed with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene

Biochemical transformation of Ltk- cells with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) gene resulted in numerous TK+ colonies that survived selection in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine medium. Many of these TK+ cell lines switched phenotypes and reverted to the TK- state. In this report, we describe the biological and biochemical characteristics of three TK- revertant lines. One (K1B5) transiently expressed TK in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine, which selects for the TK- phenotype. Another TK- sibling (K1B6n) expressed TK only after removal from bromodeoxyuridine-containing medium. The last variant (K1B6me) lost the ability to switch to the TK+ phenotype, although it maintained the herpes simplex virus sequences coding for TK. Loss of the ability of K1B6me cells to express TK was correlated with extensive methylation of the sequence recognized by the restriction endonuclease HpaII (pCpCpGpG). After these cells were treated with 5-azacytidine, they regained the ability to clone in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine medium and reexpressed virus tk mRNA and enzyme. In addition, the HpaII sites that were previously shown to be refractile to enzyme digestion were converted to a sensitive state, demonstrating that they were no longer methylated.     

Construction and isolation of a transmissible retrovirus containing the src gene of Harvey murine sarcoma virus and the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1

We constructed lambda recombinants containing the Harvey murine sarcoma virus genome and the thymidine kinase (tk) gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 linked to each other. The tk gene was located in a position downstream from both the long terminal repeat and the src gene of Harvey murine sarcoma virus. The DNAs of the lambda recombinants were used to transfect NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts in order to obtain Harvey murine sarcoma virus DNA-induced foci of transformed cells. The transformed foci were superinfected with a helper-independent retrovirus, and new individual retrovirus were isolated from the superinfected foci. The new viruses could induce focus formation on NIH3T3 cells and could convert NIH3T3(TK-) cells into TK+ cells by carrying the herpes simplex virus type 1 tk gene into the TK- cells. From virus-infected cells, we isolated nonproducer foci on NIH3T3 cells and TK+ transformants on NIH3T3(TK-) cells containing one such new viral genome coding for the dual properties. The new retroviral sequence in the nonproducer cells could be rescued into virus particles at high titers by superinfection with a helper-independent retrovirus. A hybridization analysis indicated that the recombinant virus contained both the Harvey murine sarcoma virus src sequence and the tk gene sequence in a single RNA species approximately 4.9 kilobases long. We concluded that retroviruses can be used as true vectors for genes other than genes that lead to oncogenesis.     

gamma 2-Thymidine kinase chimeras are identically transcribed but regulated a gamma 2 genes in herpes simplex virus genomes and as beta genes in cell genomes.

True gamma or gamma 2 genes, unlike alpha, beta, and gamma 1 (beta gamma) genes of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), stringently require viral DNA synthesis for their expression. We report that gamma 2 genes resident in cells were induced in trans by infection with HSV-1 but that the induction did not require amplification of either the resident gene or the infecting viral genome. Specifically, to test the hypothesis that expression of these genes is amplification dependent, we constructed two sets of gamma 2-thymidine kinase (TK) chimeric genes. The first (pRB3038) consisted of the promoter-regulatory region and a portion of 5'-transcribed noncoding region of the domain of a gamma 2 gene identified by Hall et al. (J. Virol. 43:594-607) in the HSV-1(F) BamHI fragment D' to the 5'-transcribed noncoding and coding regions of the TK gene. The second (pRB3048) contained, in addition, an origin of HSV-1 DNA replication. Cells transfected with either the first or second construct and selected for the TK+ phenotype were then tested for TK induction after superinfection with HSV-1(F) delta 305, containing a deletion in the coding sequences of the TK gene, and viruses containing, in addition, a ts lesion in the alpha 4 regulatory protein (ts502 delta 305) or in the beta 8 major DNA-binding protein (tsHA1 delta 305). The results were as follows: induction by infection with TK- virus of chimeric TK genes with or without an origin of DNA replication was dependent on functional alpha 4 protein but not on viral DNA synthesis; the resident chimeric gene in cells selected for G418 (neomycin) resistance was regulated in the same fashion; the chimeric gene recombined into the viral DNA was regulated as a gamma 2 gene in that its expression in infected cells was dependent on viral DNA synthesis; the gamma 2-chimeric genes resident in the host and in viral genomes were transcribed from the donor BamHI fragment D' containing the promoter-regulatory domain of the gamma 2 gene. The significance of the differential regulation of gamma 2 genes in the environments of host and viral genomes by viral trans-acting factors is discussed.     

Phenotypic variation associated with molecular alterations at a cluster of thymidine kinase genes.

Genetic variation was studied in several mouse L cell lines containing tandemly repeated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) genes introduced by DNA-mediated gene transfer. Variants were obtained after alternate positive and negative selection for TK expression. Three classes of molecular alteration are described. One class consisted of a concerted wave of hypermethylation affecting many sites in all or nearly all of the TK genes. This resulted in genetically stable TK- variants. Of five TK+ transformants from independent transfer experiments, only one, named HM, showed this class of methylation. Hypermethylation was a reproducible phenomenon in HM, yielding TK- variants after selection with either bromodeoxyuridine or acycloguanosine [Acyclovir or 9-(2-hydroxyethy-oxymethyl)guanine]. A second class of alteration consisted of methylation affecting some, but not all, genes in the cluster. This happened in all TK+ (HAT [hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine]-resistant) cell lines investigated, and this second class of methylation was incapable of generating TK- variants. Neither type of methylation was accompanied by genomic rearrangements. The third class of molecular alteration was found among TK+ (HAT-resistant) back revertants of hypermethylated HM TK- derivatives. It consisted of a 10-fold amplification of the hypermethylated TK genes. Demethylation of hypermethylated HM variants was not observed. Thus, hypermethylation in this system can be compensated for by amplification but cannot be reversed.     

A herpes simplex virus 1 integration site in the mouse genome defined by somatic cell genetic analysis.

Transfection experiments with HSV 1 in which one uses herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (TK) as a selectable prototrophic marker yield two classes of transformed cells: stable and unstable. In this report, we test the hypothesis that the stability phenotype can be explained by virus genome integration into a recipient cell chromosome. The method of analysis is by means of somatic cell genetics. We have isolated a series of microcell hybrids between a TK- Chinese hamster cell line and a transformed mouse cell line expressing the TK encoded by HSV 1. Several of the hybrid lines contain a single murine chromosome and express only the viral TK. Karyotypic analysis of these hybrids and of TK- derivatives generated by BrdUrd counterselection reveals that the TK+ phenotype is correlated with the presence of the terminal portion of the long arm of a specific murine chromosome. Results of extensive isozyme analyses of the hybrids and their TK- segregants fully corroborate the karyologic data. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the viral tk gene is covalently integrated into this chromosomal region which itself does not appear to carry the endogenous murine tk locus. Other more complicated models are discussed. Our findings also show that somatic cell genetics can be used to localize viral integration sites in host chromosomes with high resolution.     

Adaptation of a retrovirus as a eucaryotic vector transmitting the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene.

We investigated the feasibility of using retroviruses as vectors for transferring DNA sequences into animal cells. The thymidine kinase (tk) gene of herpes simplex virus was chosen as a convenient model. The internal BamHI fragments of a DNA clone of Moloney leukemia virus (MLV) were replaced with a purified BamHI DNA segment containing the tk gene. Chimeric genomes were created carrying the tk insert in both orientations relative to the MLV sequence. Each was transfected into TK- cells along with MLV helper virus, and TK+ colonies were obtained by selection in the presence of hypoxanthine, aminopterin, and thymidine (HAT). Virus collected from TK+-transformed, MLV producer cells passed the TK+ phenotype to TK- cells. Nonproducer cells were isolated, and TK+ transducing virus was subsequently rescued from them. The chimeric virus showed single-hit kinetics in infections. Virion and cellular RNA and cellular DNA from infected cells were all shown to contain sequences which hybridized to both MLV- and tk-specific probes. The sizes of these sequences were consistent with those predicted for the chimeric virus. In all respects studied, the chimeric MLV-tk virus behaved like known replication-defective retroviruses. These experiments suggest great general applicability of retroviruses as eucaryotic vectors.     

Defective ENaC processing and function in tissue kallikrein-deficient mice

An inverse relationship exists between urinary tissue kallikrein (TK) excretion and blood pressure in humans and rodents. In the kidney TK is synthesized in large amounts in the connecting tubule and is mainly released into the urinary fluid where its function remains unknown. In the present study mice with no functional gene coding for TK (TK-/-) were used to test whether the enzyme regulates apically expressed sodium transporters. Semiquantitative immunoblotting of the renal cortex revealed an absence of the 70-kDa form of gamma-ENaC in TK-/- mice. Urinary Na+ excretion after amiloride injection was blunted in TK-/- mice, consistent with reduced renal ENaC activity. Amiloride-sensitive transepithelial potential difference in the colon, where TK is also expressed, was decreased in TK-/- mice, whereas amiloride-sensitive alveolar fluid clearance in the lung, where TK is not expressed, was unchanged. In mice lacking the B2 receptor for kinins, the abundance of the 70-kDa form of gamma-ENaC was increased, indicating that its absence in TK-/- mice is not kinin-mediated. Incubation of membrane proteins from renal cortex of TK-/- mice with TK resulted in the appearance of the 70-kDa band of the gamma-ENaC, indicating that TK was able to promote gamma-ENaC cleavage in vitro. Finally, in mouse cortical collecting ducts isolated and microperfused in vitro, the addition of TK in the luminal fluid increased significantly intracellular Na+ concentration, consistent with an activation of the luminal entry of the cation. The results demonstrate that TK, like several other proteases, can activate ENaC in the kidney and the colon.     

Regulation of chimeric phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase genes by the trans-dominant locus TSE1.

Extinction of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) gene expression in hepatoma x fibroblast hybrids is mediated by a trans-acting genetic locus designated tissue-specific extinguisher 1 (TSE1). To identify PCK gene sequences required for extinction, hepatoma transfectants expressing PCK-thymidine kinase (TK) chimeric genes were fused with TK- fibroblasts and PCK-TK expression in the resulting hybrids was monitored. Expression of a PCK-TK chimera containing PCK sequences between base pairs -548 and +73 was extinguished in four of five hepatoma transfectants tested, although hybrids derived from one transfectant clone failed to extinguish PCK-TK expression. In contrast, crosses between hepatoma transfectants expressing the herpesvirus TK gene from its own promoter and TK- fibroblasts produced TK+ hybrids; extinction of the transfected TK gene was not observed. Thus, rat PCK gene sequences between base pairs -548 and +73 are sufficient for tissue-specific extinction in hybrid cells. Extinction of PCK-TK gene expression in transfectant microcell hybrids mapped specifically to human chromosome 17, the site of human TSE1.     

构建单纯疱疹病毒基因组Bam HIC片段上有插入突变的重组病毒

单纯疱疹病毒(GSV)是重要的人类DNA病毒。国内外学者正在对其基因结构、功能和基因调控机制进行探索,以及利用其作为病毒载体表达外源基因研制基因工程疫苗等,并且已经取得了一定的成绩。多年来,尽管对HSV-1的分子遗传学做了包括序列分析在内的大量研究,但对HSV基因组许多部位的功能,它们相互之间的关系,特别是某特定部位对活病毒生物特性的作用(病毒生长、繁殖、毒力等),所知很少。为了深入了解HSV-1基因组中Bam H I C片段这一未知部分的功能,我们对它进行了克隆、次级克隆和酶谱分析,并且利用胸腺嘧啶核苷激酶基因—小Mu噬菌体系统(TK-mM)组建了在HSV-1的Eam H I C片段上有TK-mM插入的重组质粒。本文报道利用组建的重组质粒DNA和提纯的TK-HSV-1毒株DNA共同转染细胞,获得了在HSV-1基因组Burn H I C片段上有插入突变的重组病毒。     

Utilization of exogenous thymidine by Chlamydia psittaci growing in the thymidine kinase-containing and thymidine kinase-deficient L cells.

The incorporation of [3H]thymidine into the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Chlamydia psittaci (strain 6BC) growing in thymidine kinase (adenosine 5'-triphosphate-thymidine 5'-phosphotransferase, EC 1.7.1.21)-containing L cells, L(TK+), and thymidine kinase-deficient L cells, LM(TK-), was examined by autoradiography. Label was detected over C. psittaci inclusions in L(TK+) but not LM(TK-) cells. No evidence for a chlamydia-specific thymidine kinase activity in either L(TK+) or LM(TK-) cells was obtained. Entry of [3H]thymidine into the DNA of C. psittaci growing in L(TK+) cells was quantitated by measuring label in purified C. psittaci. It was 265 times less efficient than entry into infected host cell DNA. It is concluded that low levels of exogenous thymidine are incorporated into the DNA of C. psittaci and that this incorporation is dependent on a fully competent host thymidine kinase activity. Evidence also is presented that L cells possess at least two thymidine kinase activities, both of which are capable of supplying thymidylate precursors for nuclear DNA synthesis.     

The establishment of IL-2 producing cells by genetic engineering

Expression plasmids containing human interleukin-2(IL-2) cDNA under the control of viral promoters (SV40 early region, MuLV LTR, HTLV-I LTR, and ASV (Y73) LTR) were introduced into TK- mouse L cells and human FL cells to establish IL-2 producing cells. The highest levels of IL-2 producing clones were obtained in TK+ mouse L cells transformed with a recombinant plasmid having MuLV LTR as a promoter, whereas transformed cells of human FL cells (G418r) were revealed to produce IL-2 at the highest level when the cells were transfected with a plasmid containing HTLV LTR as a promoter. These results suggest that these promoter/enhancer regions possess different cell specificities in gene expression. To obtain higher levels of IL-2 production using gene amplification, the hybrid plasmids containing the hamster DHFR and human IL-2 genes were constructed and transfected into DHFR- CHO cells. DHFR+ colonies produced IL-2 at about the same level as that produced by TK+ L cells transformed with the recombinants containing MuLV LTR. Selection of methotrexate-resistant cells resulted in a 5- to 30-fold increase of IL-2 production. These cells produced IL-2 stably for at least 3 months, even in the absence of methotrexate.     

Selective assay for herpes simplex viruses expressing thymidine kinase.

A technique for selecting herpes simplex viruses expressing the viral thymidine kinase (TK+) from a population of predominantly TK- viruses was developed. This was accomplished by infecting TK- cells and incubating the cultures under a liquid overlay medium containing methotrexate. Since the TK- cells survive in this medium for only a limited period of time, it was necessary to add fresh uninfected TK- cells 48 h after infection. The technique allowed the detection and quantitation of the TK+ virus fraction in mixtures of TK+ and TK- viruses where the TK+ fraction was present in frequencies as low as 10(-5). It was also used to estimate reversion frequencies and to obtain and analyze TK+ revertants from TK- mutant strains of herpes simplex virus type 1.     

Growth-responsive expression from the murine thymidine kinase promoter: genetic analysis of DNA sequences

As a first step toward elucidating the biochemical basis of gene regulation at the G1-S boundary of the cell cycle, we have identified regions of the murine thymidine kinase (TK) promoter sufficient to confer appropriately growth-responsive expression to a heterologous gene. Using a series of TK promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene fusion constructs, we have identified sequences located between -174 base pairs upstream and +159 base pairs downstream of the TK translation initiation site that are sufficient to drive efficient S phase-specific expression of the CAT reporter gene in transfected murine fibroblasts. Both deletion analysis and site-specific mutagenesis experiments indicated that an Sp1 consensus binding site is critical to the activity of this promoter. Synchronized populations of BALB/c 3T3 cells stably transfected with either TK promoter-CAT fusion constructs or TK promoter-beta-globin fusion constructs expressed their respective reporter genes in an S phase-specific manner following serum stimulation. In each case, reporter gene expression was reduced during quiescence and G1 and rose upon entry of cells into S phase. The TK sequences included in these constructs therefore contained information sufficient to confer S phase-specific regulation to these two reporter genes. These results set the stage for a more detailed analysis of the sequences and trans-acting factors responsible for regulating murine TK gene expression and may lead to insights into the control of proliferation in normal and transformed cells.     

伪狂犬病病毒鄂A株TK－／gG－／LacZ＋突变株的构建

为了以国内地方分离株鄂A株为亲本构建伪狂犬病病毒双基因缺失株,采用外切酶Ⅲ和绿豆核酸酶酶切,构建了缺失主要毒力基因TK基因部分编码区的重组质粒pSTK1-4,进一步改造成为转移质粒pUCPB4。用HindⅢ将质粒pUCPB4线性化,然后与用EcoRI消化的伪狂犬病病毒鄂A株TK^-/LacZ^ 突变株基因组DNA共转染PK－15细胞,等完全病变后,收毒作空斑试验,PCR筛选TK缺失的重组病毒。重组病毒空斑纯化3次,随机挑取空斑进行PCR扩增,证实所获得的病毒为均一的无TK^-/LacZ^ 突变株污染的TK缺失的重组病毒,分别以TK缺失株病毒与鄂A野毒株为模板对TK基因进行PCR扩增,扩增产物经酶切分析和测序后发现：TK缺失重组病毒的TK基因缺失了205个碱基,XhoⅠ和SalⅠ位点消失,SmaⅠ酶切片段发生变化,两种病毒在PK－15细胞上形成空斑的大小和增殖 滴度无明显的差别。进一步提取TK缺失突变株基因组DNA,与含gG-LacZ的转移质粒pUSKZ通过磷酸钙法共转染PK－15细胞,待完全病变后,在X-gal存在下筛选蓝斑,将桃取的蓝斑纯化3次后,对纯化的重组病毒进行TK、LacZ扩增,结果既能扩增出较以鄂A野毒株为模板扩增的要小的TK基因片段,同时又能扩增出LacZ基因,证实所得到的重组病毒为TK^-/gG^-/LacZ^ 突变株。此双缺失突变株的构建成功,为在我国最终根除伪狂犬病提供了有用的工具。