title: Dicistronic polioviruses as expression vectors for foreign genes.
abstract: We have made use of certain novel genetic elements of picornaviruses termed internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) to construct a viral RNA with the following genetic order: PV 5' NTR-EMCV IRES-PV ORF-3' NTR (PV, poliovirus; NTR, nontranslated region; EMCV, encephalomyocarditis virus; ORF, open reading frame). Transfection of this RNA into HeLa cells yielded a poliovirus (W1-PNENPO) that contained two heterologous IRES elements (type 1 IRES of PV; type 2 IRES of EMCV) in tandem. The insertion of foreign coding sequences into the genome of W1-PNENPO between the IRES elements yielded viable polioviruses with the gene order PV 5' NTR-foreign ORF-EMCV IRES-PV ORF-3' NTR. The foreign ORFs we have employed in this study included the coding region for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), or segments of either luciferase or the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120. W1-PV/V3-3, a dicistronic poliovirus that contained HIV-1-specific sequences that included the V3 domain of gp120, was used to infect transgenic mice (PVR+) that were engineered to express the poliovirus receptor. The genetic stability of the dicistronic viruses and the HIV-1-specific immune response in PVR+ mice after infection with these novel agents are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook 11794.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gromeier
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wimmer
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004686:Encephalomyocarditis virus / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments