title: High rate of genetic rearrangement during replication of a Moloney murine leukemia virus-based vector.
abstract: A protocol was designed to measure the forward mutation rate over an entire gene replicated as part of a Moloney murine leukemia virus-based vector. For these studies, the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) gene under the control of the spleen necrosis virus U3 promoter was used as target sequence since it allows selection for either the functional or the inactivated gene. Our results indicate that after one round of retroviral replication, the tk gene is inactivated at an average rate of 0.08 per cycle of replication. Southern blotting revealed that the majority of the mutant proviruses resulted from gross rearrangements and that deletions of spleen necrosis virus and tk sequences were the most frequent cause of the gene inactivation. Sequence analysis of the mutant proviruses suggested that homologous as well as nonhomologous recombination was involved in the observed rearrangements. Some mutations consisted of simple deletions, and others consisted of deletions combined with insertions. The frequency at which these mutations occurred during one cycle of retroviral replication provides evidence indicating that Moloney murine leukemia virus-based vectors may undergo genetic rearrangement at high rates. The high rate of rearrangement and its relevance for retrovirus-mediated gene transfer are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854-5635.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varela-Echavarría
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Prorock
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ron
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dougherty
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015752:Genes, env; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008979:Moloney murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase