Inventors:
Laurence A. Ball - Birmingham AL, US
Kyle L. Johnson - Birmingham AL, US
Karen N. Johnson - Birmingham AL, US
B. Duane Price - Mountain Brook AL, US
Assignee:
The UAB Research Foundation - Birmingham AL
International Classification:
C12N015/86, C12N015/63, C12N015/64, C12N005/10, C07H021/02
US Classification:
435 9133, 4353201, 4352351, 435 691, 435325, 435348, 435455, 435456, 435 911, 435 9131, 435 913, 435 9132, 435 914, 536 231, 536 232, 536 235, 536 2372, 536 241, 536 245
Abstract:
The present invention describes the production of a nodavirus-based DNA vector that drives abundant expression of foreign genes in a wide variety of cell types. The DNA plasmid is initially transcribed by a host-cell RNA polymerase to produce primary transcripts from which a nodaviral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNA replicase) is translated. These primary transcripts are then amplified by the RNA replicase in an autonomous, cytoplasmic RNA replication. Such a vector is a useful addition to the current arsenal of expression vectors, and well suited to laboratory-scale and larger-scale expression of transcripts and/or proteins in eukaryotic cells.