Open AccessRetroviral vector system for the study of cDNA gene formation.
Author(s) -
Alex Dornburg,
Howard M. Temin
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
molecular and cellular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.14
H-Index - 327
eISSN - 1067-8824
pISSN - 0270-7306
DOI - 10.1128/mcb.8.6.2328
Subject(s) - biology , complementary dna , retrotransposon , gene , reverse transcriptase , vector (molecular biology) , viral vector , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , rna , genome , transposable element , recombinant dna
A retroviral vector system was developed to study the retrotransposition of RNAs lacking all cis-acting sequences required for normal retroviral replication. Our experiments indicate that such RNAs can be encapsidated in retroviral proteins, reverse transcribed, and integrated to form functional cDNA genes in infected cells. The frequency of this process, however, was approximately 8 orders of magnitude less than that of normal retroviral replication. The efficiency was limited at each step in this process. Investigation of seven cDNA genes by Southern blot analysis revealed that all of them were truncated at either the 3' or the 5' end or both. These truncations are not seen with natural cDNA genes and raise the question of retroviral involvement in their formation.