Method and compositions for stabilizing unstable gene transcript

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Micro-organism – tissue cell culture or enzyme using process... – Recombinant dna technique included in method of making a...

Patent

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

435357, 435365, 4353201, 435455, 536 231, 536 241, C12P 2102

Patent

active

061597104

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to methods of stabilizing unstable gene transcripts for use in, e.g., gene therapy, and specifically to the use of the HSV-1 LAT sequences in such methods.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus capable of forming latent infections for the lifetime of an individual. Upon stress the viral genome undergoes extensive transcription and replication leading to the production of viral proteins and infectious particles. Contrary to the acute initial infection or subsequent reactivation events, during latency transcription is restricted to a single diploid gene within the long repeat elements of the viral genome. Transcription of this gene generates a family of transcripts known as the latency-associated transcripts (LATs) (see FIG. 1) [Rock, D. L. et al., (1987), J. Virol., 61:3820-3826; Spivack, J. G., and N. W. Fraser, (1987), J. Virol., 61:3841-3847 (Spivack 1987); Stevens, J. G. et al, (1987), Science, 235:1056-1059; and Wechsler, S. L. et al, (1988), J. Virol., 62:4051-4058].
An 8.5 kb LAT (referred to as the minor LAT or MLAT based on its abundance) is postulated on the basis of in situ hybridization of infected tissues and the presence of a LAT promoter element mapping to its 5' end and of a polyadenylation signal near its 3' end. It is found in very low amounts in trigeminal ganglia of infected animals [Mitchell, W. J. et al, (1990), J. Gen. Virol., 71:125-132].
The most abundant LAT species is a 2 kb long transcript (referred to as 2.0 kb LAT), which does not appear to be polyadenylated [Devi-Rao, G. B. et al, (1991), J. Virol., 65:2179-2190; Nicosia, M. et al, (1994), 204:717-728 (Nicosia 1994); Spivack 1987; and Wagner 1988] and also lacks a cap at its 5' end which maps to a splice donor sequence GT [Krause, P. R. et al, (1990) J. Clin. Invest., 86(1):225-241; Krause, P. R. et al, (1991) J. Virol., 65:5619-5623; Spivack, J. G. et al, (1991), J. Virol., 65:6800-6810 (Spivack 1991); and Wagner 1988].
The 2.0 kb LAT is considered to be a unique class of genes, known as the .lambda. class [Spivack 1988]. It has been proposed that the 2.0 kb LAT is a stable intron derived from the larger 8.5 kb MnLAT RNA. Consistent with this, Farrell, M. J. et al, 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 88:790-794 have shown that the 2.0 kb LAT RNA could be spliced out of a .beta.-galactosidase transcript containing the LAT sequences in transient transfections. additionally Wu, T. T. et al, 1996, J. Virol., 70:5962-5967 have recently shown that the majority of the 2.0 kb LAT transcript is in a non-linear structure most likely a lariat. However, the spliced exons of the putative primary transcript MLAT have never been detected.
Removal of a short intron in the 2.0 kb LAT leads to the production of a small variant of 1.5 kb in size. Both transcripts are routinely detectable by Northern hybridization [Rock et al, Spivack 1987, Stevens et al and Wechsler et al, cited above]. These RNAs are partially colinear and are thought to evolve by differential splicing. The 1.5 kb LAT is only observed during latency in neurons, whereas the 2.0 kb LAT is detectable in productive infections in tissue culture and animals with the kinetics of a late gene, as well as during latency [Spivack 1987; Spivack, J. G., and N. W. Fraser, (1988), J. Virol., 62:3281-3287 (Spivack 1988); Wagner, E. K. et al, (1988), J. Virol., 62:1194-1202 (Wagner 1988)].
Two promoters involved in the generation of the 2.0 kb LAT RNA have been identified. They are known as the Latency Active Promoter 1 (LAP 1) [Batchelor, A. H. and P. O'Hare, 1990, J. Virol., 64:3269-3279; Dobson, A. T. et al, 1989, J. Virol., 63:3844-3851; Zwaagstra, J. et al, 1991, Virol., 182:287-297; Zwaagstra et al, 1989, J. Gen. Virol., 70:2163-2169; Zwaagstra et al, 1990, J. Virol., 64:5019-5028] and the Latency Active Promoter 2 (LAP2) [Goins, W. F. et al, 1994. J. Virol., 68:2239-2252]. The LAP1 promoter, mapping to the 5' end of mLAT, is the promoter of this putative transcript. Specula

REFERENCES:
Spicer et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., vol. 12, pp. 1324-1329, Mar. 1992.
L. Balvay et al., "Pre-mRNA Secondary Structure and the Regulation of Splicing", Bioessays, 15(3):165-169 (Mar. 1993).
A.H. Batchelor and P. O'Hare, "Regulations and Cell-Type-Specific Activity of a Promoter Located Upstream of the Latency-Associated Transcript of Herpes Simplex Virus Type I", J. Virol., 64(7):3269-3279 (Jul. 1990).
T.M. Block et al., "A Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcript Mutant Reactivates with Normal Kinetics from Latent Infection", J. Virol., 64(7):3417-3426 (Jul. 1990).
R.A. Bohenzky et al., "Two Overlapping Transcription Units Which Extend Across the L-S Junction of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1", J. Virol., 69(5):2889-2897 (May 1995).
K.B. Chapmand and J.D. Boeke, "Isolation and Characterization of the Gene Encoding Yeast Debranching Enzyme", Cell, 65:483-492 (May 3, 1991).
X. Chen et al., "Two Herpes Simplex Virus Type a Latency-Active Promoters Differ in Their Contributions to Latency-Associated Transcript Expression during Lytic and Latent Infections", J. Virol., 69(12):7899-7909 (Dec. 1995).
D.W. Copertino and R.B. Hallick, "Group II Twintron: An Intron within an Intron in a Chloroplast Cytochrome b-559 Gene", EMBO J., 10(2):433-442 (Feb. 1991).
G.B. Devi-Rao et al., "Relationship between Polyadenylated and Nonpolyadenylated Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcripts", J. Virol., 65(5):2179-2190 (May 1991).
A.T. Dobson et al., "Identification of the Latency-Associated Transcript Promoter by Expression of Rabbit Beta-Globin mRNA in Mouse Sensory Nerve Ganglia Latently Infected with a Recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus", J. Virol., 63(9):3844-3851 (Sep. 1989).
M.J. Farrell et al., "Herpes Simplex Virus Latency-Associated Transcript is a Stable Intron", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 88: 790-794 (Feb. 1991).
G.A. Freyer et al., "In vitro Formation of a Lariat Structure Containing a G.sup.2' -.sup.5' G Linkage", J. Biol. Chem., 262(9):4267-4273 (Mar. 25, 1987).
W. F. Goins et al., "A Novel Latency-Active Promoter is Contained within the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 U.sub.L Flanking Repeats", J. Virol., 68(4):2239-2252 (Apr. 1994).
H. Hornig et al., "Effect of Mutations at then Lariat Branch Acceptor Site on .beta.-Globin Pre-mRNA Splicing in Vitro", Nature, 324:589-591 (Dec. 1986).
S.K. Jang et al., "Cap-Independent Translation of Encephalomyocarditis Virus RNA:Structural Elements of the Internal Ribosomal Entry Site and Involvement of a Cellular 57-kD RNA-Binding Protein", Genes and Devel., 4:1560-1572 (Sep. 1990).
P.R. Krause et al., "The Nucleotide Sequence, 5' End, Promoter Domain, and Kinetics of Expression of the Gene Encoding the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Latency-Associated Transcript", J. Virol. 65(10):5619-5623 (Oct. 1991).
P.R. Krause et al., "Structural and Kinetic Analyses of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcripts in Human Trigeminal Ganglia and in Cell Culture", J. Clin. Invest., 86:235-241 (Jul. 1990).
M. Lagunoff and B. Roizman, "The Regulation of Synthesis and Properties of the Protein Product of Open Reading Frame P of the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Genome", J. Virol. 69:3615-3623 (Jun. 1995).
M. Lagunoff and B. Roizman "Expression of a Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Open Reading Frame Antisense to the .gamma..sub.1 34.5 Gene and Transcribed by an RNA 3' Coterminal with the Unspliced Latency-Associated Transcript", J. Virol. 68:6021-6028 (Sep. 1994).
M. Lagnuoff et al., "Phenotypic Properties of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 containing a Derepressed Open Reading Frame P Gene", J. Virol., 70:1810-1817 (Mar. 1996).
D.J. McGeoch et al., "The complete DNA Sequence of the Long Unique Region int eh Genome of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1" J. Gen. Virol., 69:1531-1574 (Jul. 1988).
W.J. Mitchell et al., "Mapping of Low Abundance Latency-Associated RNA in the Trigeminal Ganglia of Mice Latently Infected with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1", J. Gen. Virol., 71:125-132 (Jan. 1990).
M. Nicosia et al., "The HSV-1 2-kb Lat

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Method and compositions for stabilizing unstable gene transcript does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Method and compositions for stabilizing unstable gene transcript, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and compositions for stabilizing unstable gene transcript will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-215525

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.