Expression vectors ideal for use in vaccinating individuals against disease based on vaccinia virus and other chordopoxviruses having high expression of recombinant genes and low expression of vector genes in target animals, and low expression of recombinant genes and high expression of vector genes in cells used for propagation.

The present invention provides compositions comprising retroviral vectors, transduced cells, and methods of using the same for gene therapy. In particular, the present invention relates to lentiviral vectors and cells transduced with those vectors to provide gene therapy to subjects having an adrenoleukodystrophy and/or adrenomyeloneuropathy.

The present invention relates to a vector for expressing an NC protein of HIV and a method for producing an NC protein using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vector for expressing an NC protein of HIV, in which an intron sequence and an mRNA stability element in the downstream of NC gene are sequentially linked, and a method for producing an NC protein using the same. The vector for expressing an NC protein of HIV of the present invention, in which an intron sequence and an mRNA stability element in the downstream of NC gene are sequentially linked, can express a wild type NC protein in animal cells, and has an effect of improving the expression efficiency, as compared to a known art.

Improved DNA vaccine plasmids are disclosed that contain novel immunostimulatory RNA compositions. The improved plasmids eliminate all extraneous sequences, incorporate a novel antibiotic free short RNA based selectable marker, increase eukaryotic expression using a novel chimeric promoter, improve yield and stability during bacterial production, and improve immunostimulation. These vectors are utilized in immunization to elicit improved immune responses or therapy to induce type 1 interferon production.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for maggot debridement therapy. More specifically, the invention relates to recombinant nucleic acid constructs, transgenic maggots comprising the recombinant nucleic acids, methods for making the maggots, and methods for the use of the maggots, including debridement and promoting of wound healing.

Four zebrafish gene promoters, which are skin specific, muscle specific, skeletal muscle specific and ubiquitously expressed respectively, were isolated and ligated to the 5′ end of the EGFP gene. When the resulting chimeric gene constructs were introduced into zebrafish, the transgenic zebrafish emit green fluorescence under a blue light or ultraviolet light according to the specificity of the promoters used. Thus, new varieties of ornamental fish of different fluorescence patterns, e.g., skin fluorescence, muscle fluorescence, skeletal muscle-specific and/or ubiquitous fluorescence, are developed.

The present invention relates to a recombinant expression cassette comprising a polynucleotide encoding a SMN protein. This cassette can be included in a gene therapy vector and used in a method for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Disclosed are a recombinant expression vector and a host cell that contains the vector.

A combined system comprising two separate components, wherein the first component is a tag-exchange donor vector (TEDV) encoding a first cell surface tag (CST) exon flanked by a 3′ intron fragment, and a gene of interest (GOI) in the antisense orientation, and the second component is an engineered cell containing within its genome a tag-exchange receiver site (TERS), encoding a second CST exon adjoined by a full intron sequence to an exon encoding a transmembrane domain, and also encoding a reporter gene in the antisense orientation, wherein paired recombinase mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) elements are included in the TEDV and TERS such that execution of RMCE between the TEDV and TERS results in exchange of the reporter element for the GOI encoded by the TEDV, and exchange of the first CST exon for the second CST exon, such that the derivative engineered cell now expresses the first CST and GOI, in place of the second CST and the reporter gene.

Described herein are transcriptional relay systems useful for reducing background signal in protein expression and reporter assays. These systems utilize a nucleic acid system wherein a promoter sequence controls expression of a synthetic transcription factor that activates transcription of a reporter molecule.