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Query: EC:2.3.1.28 (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase)
 5,100 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We used a recombinant plasmid containing an adeno-associated virus (AAV) genome to construct several vectors which express the gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). We transfected four different AAV-CAT vectors into human 293 (adenovirus-transformed) cells and analyzed CAT activity. We show that, for vectors using the AAV p40 and p19 promoter, the chimeric AAV-CAT transcripts began from the correct 5' position but the basal level of CAT expression depended in part on the structure of the transcript. We also examined the effects of coinfection of the cells with the helper adenovirus or cotransfection with a plasmid which expressed the adenovirus translational control RNA, VA1 RNA. Cotransfection with plasmids containing the gene for VA1 RNA resulted in elevated levels of CAT activity. VA1 RNA stimulated translation of the chimeric mRNA. However, in two cases, the VA1 RNA apparently decreased the level of mRNA. These results suggest that in addition to its function in translation, VA1 RNA acts at a second site to alter cytoplasmic accumulation of some mRNAs. Infection with adenovirus increased CAT activity several-fold by increasing the cytoplasmic levels of the chimeric AAV-CAT transcript. When the CAT gene is inserted down stream of the AAV intron, adenovirus and not VA1 RNA alone increased CAT activity by promoting accumulation of a spliced transcript.
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PMID:Gene expression in adeno-associated virus vectors: the effects of chimeric mRNA structure, helper virus, and adenovirus VA1 RNA. 282 Jan 38

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a single-stranded DNA parvovirus that is dependent on adenovirus or herpesvirus for reproductive functions. We describe the construction of recombinant AAV vectors containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene or the neomycin phosphotransferase gene. These vectors carried their respective genes into a wide variety of cell types, including primary skin fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells. Infection efficiencies varied with cell type and ranged up to 3.0%. Coinfection of two different recombinant viruses was also used to introduce two different sequences simultaneously into a given cell. Finally, methods for obtaining recombinant AAV vectors with minimal contamination of wild-type virus are described. These various attributes of AAV vectors make them a viable DNA transduction system.
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PMID:Adeno-associated virus: a vector system for efficient introduction and integration of DNA into a variety of mammalian cell types. 284 25

High levels of expression of cloned genes have been obtained in mammalian cells by using poxvirus-derived insertion/expression vectors. These vectors employ the cis-acting element (CAE I) that directs the transcription of one of the most strongly expressed genes of cowpox virus. This gene (the 160K gene) encodes the 160-kDa protein that is the major component of the A-type cytoplasmic inclusions. Its counterpart in vaccinia virus (VV) is the 94K gene contained in the HindIII A fragment of the viral DNA. Two insertion vectors have been constructed; each is designed to allow cloned genes to be placed immediately downstream of a modified version of CAE I within a poxvirus genome. One vector, p1200, enables the CAE I-cloned-gene constructs to be inserted into the thymidine kinase gene of VV. This vector was used to create a VV recombinant that directed expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. The other vector, p2101, enables the CAE I-cloned-gene constructs to be inserted into the VV 94K gene. The prototype of this vector was used to create a VV recombinant that directed expression of a hybrid CAT-lacZ gene. Infection of cultured human cells with these recombinants led to high levels of synthesis of either the CAT gene product or the CAT-lacZ gene product. Each of these proteins was produced in quantities that were easily detected by Coomassie blue staining of total cell proteins resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We estimate that these vectors are capable of directing the synthesis of milligram amounts of gene product per 10(9) mammalian cells.
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PMID:A poxvirus-derived vector that directs high levels of expression of cloned genes in mammalian cells. 284 5

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) and visna virus are pathogenic lentiviruses of goats and sheep which share morphologic features and sequence homology with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), the etiologic agent of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The nucleotide sequence of the CAEV long terminal repeat (LTR) was determined, and it was found to be 450 base pairs long, with U3, R, and U5 regions of 287, 85, and 78 base pairs, respectively. Portions of the CAEV LTR are closely homologous to analogous regions of visna virus. The CAEV LTR is not significantly homologous with the HTLV-III LTR; however, like HTLV-III, visna virus, and equine infectious anemia virus, CAEV uses tRNA lysine as a primer for reverse transcription. The transcriptional activity of the CAEV and visna virus LTRs was measured by a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay, and the activity of the visna virus LTR was generally higher in a variety of uninfected cell types. Infection of cells with visna virus markedly increased gene expression directed by either the CAEV or visna virus LTR, but in contrast, infection of cells with CAEV had little effect on the activity of either LTR. The lack of trans-activation by CAEV, a virus which causes debilitating arthritis and encephalitis in goats, suggests that trans-activation may not be a general property of pathogenic lentiviruses.
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PMID:Nucleotide sequence and transcriptional activity of the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus long terminal repeat. 302 73

A bioassay that is based on trans-activation has been developed for the detection and quantitation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Indicator cell lines were constructed that contain the HIV-1 long terminal repeat ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. Infection of these cells by HIV activates the expression of CAT protein. Isolates of HIV-1 with divergent nucleotide sequences activated the indicator cell lines to a similar extent, approximately 500- to 1000-fold. Human T cell lymphotropic viruses types 1 and 2, equine infectious anemia virus, and herpes simplex virus 1 did not activate the indicator cell lines. Isolates of simian immunodeficiency virus and human T cell lymphotropic virus type 4 activated these cells to a much lesser extent, which suggests that these viruses contain similar, but distinct, trans-activators. This assay can be used for the detection, quantitation, and typing of HIV and for studying the effect of drugs on the replication of HIV in different cellular backgrounds.
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PMID:A quantitative bioassay for HIV-1 based on trans-activation. 342 13

Infection-induced activation of the human cytomegalovirus major immediate early enhancer/promoter has been shown to be regulated primarily by transcription factor NF-kappa B cis elements. However, the mechanism(s) by which human cytomegalovirus induces NF-kappa B activity is unknown. A study was therefore undertaken to determine how this virus would affect normal NF-kappa B regulation. Viral infection of fibroblasts resulted in the specific stimulation of promoters containing major histocompatibility complex NF-kappa B cis elements fused upstream of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays of nuclear extracts derived from mock- and virus-infected cells showed dramatic and sustained increases in DNA-binding proteins specific for these NF-kappa B sequences. Experiments using MAD-3 I kappa B, a specific inhibitor of NF-kappa B, and antibodies directed against rel family members demonstrated that the induced binding activities contained p50 and p65 proteins but not c-rel. Northern analysis indicated maximal levels of p50 mRNA by 4 h postinfection, whereas p65 and MAD-3 I kappa B mRNA accumulation peaked at 48-72 h postinfection, suggesting different regulatory mechanisms for p50 and p65/I kappa B genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with deoxycholate-treated cytoplasmic extracts demonstrated a 3- to 4-fold decrease in the cytosolic stores of NF-kappa B binding activity by 4 h postinfection. Western blots probed with antibodies directed against MAD-3 I kappa B or pp40 (a protein isolated from chicken with sequence and biochemical properties similar to those of MAD-3 I kappa B) indicated that a cross-reactive peptide of 39 kDa was no longer detectable after 24 h postinfection. These results demonstrate that the activation and maintenance of nuclear NF-kappa B DNA binding and enhancer activities upon human cytomegalovirus infection occurs by multiple mechanisms.
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PMID:Multiple mechanisms are implicated in the regulation of NF-kappa B activity during human cytomegalovirus infection. 838 32

As has been demonstrated for herpes simplex virus type 2, we show in this report that the herpes simplex virus type 1 ribonucleotide reductase large subunit (RR1) gene is trans activated in transient transfection assays by VP16 and ICP0 but not by ICP4. Deletion analysis demonstrated that responsiveness to induction to VP16 resides in an octamer/TAATGARAT sequence of the RR1 promoter and that the TATA box alone is sufficient to provide induction by ICP0. The induction of the RR1 gene by ICP0 but not by ICP4 suggested that it might be possible to identify the cis-acting element(s) responsive to ICP4 in an ICP4-inducible promoter. To this end, a series of chimeric promoters containing various portions of the regulatory sequences of the RR1 promoter and thymidine kinase (TK) promoter were constructed. The TK promoter is trans activated by both ICP0 and ICP4 in transient transfection assays and by ICP4 in infection. The data show that replacing the RR1 TATA region with the TK TATA region permits ICP4 inducibility even if the rest of the RR1 promoter elements remain intact. To test whether the RR1 gene is induced by ICP0 during infection, four mutant viruses were constructed. (i) TAATGARAT+ has the wild-type RR1 promoter driving chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and the RR2 promoter driving the lacZ gene. The RR2 gene codes for the small subunit of the ribonucleotide reductase and is expressed as a beta gene. (ii) TAATGARAT- has a triple-base change in the octamer/TAATGARAT element which renders it unresponsive to VP16 trans activation, eliminating that portion of the activation of the RR1 gene. (iii) TAATGARAT- delta alpha 0 has a deletion of the alpha 0 gene. (iv) TAATGARAT- delta alpha 4 has a deletion of the alpha 4 gene. Infections were carried out in Vero cells at a multiplicity of infection of 10 per cell; cells were assayed for CAT and beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) activities and for virus yields. The first two infections gave strong CAT and beta-Gal activities and high yields of progeny virus. Infection with the third virus showed no CAT activity but did produce high levels of beta-Gal activity and virus progeny. The fourth infection resulted in strong CAT activity but no beta-Gal activity or progeny virus. The data demonstrated that the RR1 promoter was activated in the absence of ICP4 but not in the absence of ICP0 in these infections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:The RR1 gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 is uniquely trans activated by ICP0 during infection. 839 74

Virus-induced apoptosis has been well characterized in vitro, but the role of apoptosis in viral pathogenesis is not well understood. The suicide of a cell in response to viral infection is postulated to be an important host defense for the organism, leading to a reduction in its total viral burden. However, virus-induced death of nonregenerating cells in the central nervous system may be detrimental to the host. Therefore, to investigate the role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of fatal encephalitis, we constructed a recombinant alphavirus chimera that expresses the antiapoptotic gene, bcl-2, in virally infected neural cells. Infection of neonatal mice with the alphavirus chimera expressing human bcl-2 [Sindbis virus (SIN)/bcl-2] resulted in a significantly lower mortality rate (7.5%) as compared with infection with control chimeric viruses containing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene (SIN/CAT) (78.1%) or bcl-2 containing a premature stop codon (SIN/bcl-2stop) (72.1%) (P < 0.001). Viral titers were reduced 5-fold 1 day after infection and 10-fold 6 days after infection in the brains of SIN/bcl-2-infected mice as compared to SIN/CAT or SIN/bcl-2stop-infected mice. In situ end labeling to detect apoptotic nuclei demonstrated a reduction in the number of foci of apoptotic cells in the brains of mice infected with SIN/bcl-2 as compared with SIN/bcl-2stop. The reduction in apoptosis was associated with a reduction in the number of foci of cells expressing alphavirus RNA. Thus, the antiapoptotic gene, bcl-2, suppresses viral replication and protects against a lethal viral disease, suggesting an interaction between cellular genetic control of viral replication and cell death.
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PMID:Bc1-2 protects mice against fatal alphavirus encephalitis. 864 85

The ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase gene (egt) of Spodoptera littoralis multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliMNPV) is a homologue of the Autographa californica MNPV (AcMNPV) egt gene, which has been found to block insect moulting. Infection of larvae with an egt-deleted AcMNPV resulted in enhanced mortality as compared to infection with the wild-type virus. Consequently, deletion of an egt gene has been proposed as a tempting approach for enhancing the insecticidal properties of baculoviruses. In a previous report we described the mapping and sequencing of the SpliMNPV egt gene. Here we use time-course Northern blot and biochemical analyses to show the production of egt transcripts and protein. The SpliMNPV egt transcription start sites were mapped to 22 and 25 nucleotides downstream of the TATA box by primer extension. Transient expression assays of chimeric egt promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) reporter gene constructs revealed low promoter activity that was transactivated by AcMNPV immediate-early viral protein IE-1.
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PMID:Transcriptional analysis and promoter activity of the Spodoptera littoralis multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase gene. 901 73

Noncytopathic replicons of the flavivirus Kunjin (KUN) were employed for expression and delivery of heterologous genes. Replicon vector C20DX2Arep, containing a unique cloning site followed by the sequence of 2A autoprotease of foot-and-mouth disease virus, was constructed and used for expression of a number of heterologous genes including chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), green fluorescent protein (GFP), beta-galactosidase, glycoprotein G of vesicular stomatitis virus, and the Core and NS3 genes of hepatitis C virus. The expression and proper processing of these genes upon transfection of BHK21 cells with the recombinant replicon RNAs were demonstrated by immunofluorescence, radioimmunoprecipitation, and appropriate reporter gene assays. Most of these recombinant KUN replicon RNAs were also successfully packaged into secreted virus-like particles (VLPs) by subsequent transfection with Semliki Forest virus replicon RNA expressing KUN structural genes. Infection of BHK21 and Vero cells with these VLPs resulted in continuous replication of the recombinant replicon RNAs and prolonged expression of the cloned genes without any cytopathic effect. We also developed a replicon vector for generation of stable cell lines continuously expressing heterologous genes by inserting an encephalomyelocarditis virus internal ribosomal entry site-neomycin transferase gene cassette into the 3'-untranslated region of the C20DX2Arep vector. Using this vector (C20DX2ArepNeo), stable BHK cell lines persistently expressing GFP and CAT genes for up to 17 passages were established. Thus noncytopathic KUN replicon vectors with the ability to be packaged into VLPs should provide a useful tool for the development of noninfectious and noncytopathic vaccines as well as for gene therapy applications.
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PMID:Noncytopathic flavivirus replicon RNA-based system for expression and delivery of heterologous genes. 1006 62


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