Circular nucleic acid vectors that provide for persistently high levels of protein expression are provided. The circular vectors of the subject invention are characterized by being devoid of expression-silencing bacterial sequences, where in many embodiments the subject vectors include a unidirectional site-specific recombination product hybrid sequence in addition to an expression cassette. Also provided are methods of using the subject vectors for introduction of a nucleic acid, e.g., an expression cassette, into a target cell, as well as preparations for use in practicing such methods. The subject methods and compositions find use in a variety of different applications, including both research and therapeutic applications. Also provided is a highly efficient and readily scalable method for producing the vectors employed in the subject methods, as well as reagents and kits/systems for practicing the same.

This disclosure pertains to a novel platform for genetic engineering of chloroplasts. The disclosure provides episomal DNA vectors containing a chloroplast origin of replication. These vectors remain extra-plastomic and sustainably and autonomously replicate in chloroplasts of the plant cells transformed with the vectors and in the plants regenerated from the transformed plant cells. The episomal DNA vectors do not contain any sequence that shares sequence homology with the plastome DNA and, thus, do not get integrated into the plastome DNA. The vectors can also comprise one or more genes of interest that confer desirable characteristics to the transformed plant cells. The disclosure also provides methods of transforming plant cells with the episomal DNA vectors and regenerating from the transformed plant cells plants having desirable characteristics. The vectors and methods disclosed herein provide a significant advancement in speed, flexibility, and prospects of introducing genes into plant cells for effective metabolic engineering.

A method of producing induced pluripotent stem cells without using a hydrogel.

The present invention relates to a non-viral iPSCs induction composition and the kits thereof. Specifically, it comprises a recombinant plasmid, and the recombinant plasmid is obtained by constructing the DNA sequences expressing the reprogramming factors POU5F1, SOX2, GLIS1, KLF4, MYCL and hsa-miR-302s into an episomal vector; The DNA sequence of hsa-miR-302s comprises one or more sequences selected from hsa-miR-302a, hsa-miR-302b, hsa-miR-302c and hsa-miR-302d. The induction composition is suitable for a highly safe and non-integrated induction reprogramming to obtain iPSCs, which reduces the risk of the clinical applications without an introduction of the high-risk reprogramming factors such as c-MYC, SV40-LT and TP53 inhibitors.

The present invention relates to a non-viral iPSCs induction method as well as the compositions, kits and iPSCs obtained therefrom. More specifically, the induction method comprises the following steps: 1) Constructing a recombinant plasmid by introducing the DNA sequences expressing the reprogramming factors POU5F1, SOX2, GLIS1, KLF4, MYCL and hsa-miR-302s into an episomal vector; 2) Obtaining iPSCs by introducing the recombinant plasmids obtained in step 1) into human somatic cells, and reprogramming induction culture of the cells. The method reduces the risk of clinical applications of iPSCs by using a combination of highly-safe reprogramming factors without the introduction of high-risk reprogramming factors such as c-MYC, SV40-LT and TP53 inhibitors; The method is highly applicable.

Eliciting a systemic antitumor immune response can be efficacious for a patient who presents with or who is at risk of developing multiple metastatic tumors of a given cell type. To this end a pharmaceutical composition is employed that comprises a defective HSV vector, preferably containing an expressible nucleotide sequence encoding at least one immune modulator.

An integration-defective retroviral vector transfer cassette lacking a functional polypurine tract (PPT) is provided. Also provided are isolated nucleic acids that include a heterologous nucleotide sequence, one or two retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs), a packaging signal, a rev responsive element, and a eukaryotic promoter, wherein the nucleic acid lacks a functional PPT; vectors that include the disclosed isolated nucleic acids; recombinant retroviral particles and mRNAs thereof; retroviral vector kits; and methods for producing integration-defective vector particles, achieving gene expression of a nucleotide sequence of interest, and inserting a nucleotide sequence of interest into a host cell genome in a site-specific or non-specific manner.

Disclosed herein are chimeric mammals, such as a chimeric mammal comprising cells derived from at least a first mammal and a second mammal, wherein the cells from the first mammal comprise a genetic modification at one or more loci and the cells from the second mammal form at least one organ or tissue, wherein the first and second mammals are different species.

Circular nucleic acid vectors that provide for persistently high levels of protein expression are provided. The circular vectors of the subject invention are characterized by being devoid of expression-silencing bacterial sequences, where in many embodiments the subject vectors include a unidirectional site-specific recombination product hybrid sequence in addition to an expression cassette. Also provided are methods of using the subject vectors for introduction of a nucleic acid, e.g., an expression cassette, into a target cell, as well as preparations for use in practicing such methods. The subject methods and compositions find use in a variety of different applications, including both research and therapeutic applications. Also provided is a highly efficient and readily scalable method for producing the vectors employed in the subject methods, as well as reagents and kits/systems for practicing the same.

The present invention provides HIV-derived lentivectors which are safe, highly efficient, and very potent for expressing transgenes for human gene therapy, especially, in human hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as in all other blood cell derivatives. The lentiviral vectors comprise a self-inactivating configuration for biosafety and promoters such as the EF1α promoter as one example. Additional promoters are also described. The vectors can also comprise additional transcription enhancing elements such as the wood chuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element. These vectors therefore provide useful tools for genetic treatments such as inherited and acquired lympho-hematological disorders, gene-therapies for cancers especially the hematological cancers, as well as for the study of hematopoiesis via lentivector-mediated modification of human HSCs.