Alphavirus structural protein expression cassettes
AssigneesChiron Corporation, Washingto University
InventorsThomas W. Dubensky, Jr., John M. Polo, Sondra Schlesinger, Ilya Frolov
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Abstract
Isolated nucleic acid molecules are disclosed. comprising an alphavirus nonstructural protein gene which, when operably incorporated into a recombinant alphavirus particle, eukaryotic layered vector initiation system, or RNA vector replicon, has a reduced level of vector-specific RNA synthesis, as compared to wild-type, and the same or greater level of proteins encoded by RNA transcribed from the viral junction region promoter, as compared to a wild-type recombinant alphavirus particle. Also disclosed are RNA vector replicons, alphavirus vector constructs, and eukaryotic layered vector initiation systems which contain the above-identified nucleic acid molecules.
Claims27
A DNA alphavirus structural protein expression cassette, comprising a 5′ promoter which directs synthesis of an RNA transcript, a nucleic acid sequence encoding at least one alphavirus structural protein and a nucleic acid sequence encoding a selectable marker.
A DNA alphavirus structural protein expression cassette comprising:
- (a) a 5′ promoter which directs synthesis of RNA;
- (b) a 5′ sequence which initiates transcription of alphavirus RNA;
- (c) a nucleic acid sequence encoding an alphavirus junction region promoter;
- (d) a nucleic acid sequence encoding one or more alphavirus structural proteins;
- (e) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a selectable marker;
- and
- (f) an RNA polymerase recognition sequence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.