title: Transmission of replication-defective Sindbis helper vectors encoding capsid and envelope proteins.
abstract: A green fluorescent protein (gfp)-encoding derivative of the replication-defective Sindbis helper vector DHBB was constructed in order to study the rate of packaging of the helper vector. The results show that despite lacking a 'packaging sequence', this vector is co-packaged about 1/300th the rate of packaging of single RNAs containing a packaging sequence. This helps explain the frequent observation of recombinant, replication-competent viruses when using first generation Sindbis packaging systems. Because of their sensitivity, gfp-encoding reporters like the one described here will be useful for measuring transfer of helper RNAs in improved alpha virus packaging systems.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Building 4, Room 338, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silver
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics*; D002460:Cell Line; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006378:Helper Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012845:Sindbis Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins