Open AccessViral Mutagenesis as a Means for Generating Novel Proteins
Author(s) -
J. Nathan Davis,
Anthony N. van den Pol
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.01747-09
Subject(s) - biology , vesicular stomatitis virus , mutagenesis , mutant , gene , green fluorescent protein , reporter gene , virus , mutation , genetics , site directed mutagenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression
We demonstrate that a mutation-prone virus engineered to express a foreign gene is an expedient means for generating novel mutant nonviral proteins in mammalian cells. Using vesicular stomatitis virus to express a gene coding for a fluorescent DsRed protein, a number of green mutant variants including a new variant not previously described were rapidly isolated from infected cells, sequenced, and cloned. Similar methods may be useful in the development of physiologically sensitive fluorescent reporter proteins and directed evolution or mutagenesis of proteins in general.