Nucleic Acids Research, 1983, Vol. 11, No. 9 2927-2941
© 1983
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY |
Expression of human interferon genes using the recA promoter of Escherichia coli
Department of Virology, Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel
*To whom reprint requests should be addressed
Received January 3, 1983. Revised April 5, 1983. Accepted April 5, 1983.
Interferon ß1 and three
-interferon genes were cloned on Eco RI fragnents isolated from a human genomlc library into the Eco RI site of a plasmid containing the recA promoter of E. coli. Expression of interferon activity from cells carrying these plasmids was nalidixic acid inducible. The
-interferon genes were expressed only when in the same transcriptional orientation as the recA promoter while the ß1 interferon gene was expressed in either orientation. Interferon activity was also inducibly expressed from the recA promoter in cells containing a plasmid carrying a fusion of the recA gene with the ß1 interferon gene. This interferon activity was thirty-fold less sensitive to neutralization by polyclonal antibodies than authentic interferon, implying that the change near the amino terminus affects either antibody recognition or specific activity or both.
1Present Address: Department of Human Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA