Expression in Escherichia coli of Open Reading Frame Gene Segments of HTLV-III

• DOI: 10.1126/science.2983429
• Publication Date: 2006-10-05T19:42:50Z
• Authors: N. T. Chang; P. K. Chanda; A. D. Barone; S. McKinney; D. P. Rhodes; S. H. Tam; C. W. Shearman; J. Huang; T. W. Chang; R. C. Gallo; F. Wong-Staal
• Keywords: Cloning (programming); genomic DNA

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), the causative agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), was recently isolated and its genomic structure analyzed by DNA cloning methods. In studies reported here a combined expression system used to identify HTLV-III encoded peptides that react immunologically with antibodies in sera from AIDS patients. Cloned sheared into approximately 500-base-pair fragments inserted an "open reading frame" vector, pMR100. The expressed Escherichia coli transformants as polypeptide fused lambda CI protein at amino terminus beta-galactosidase carboxyl terminus. Sera patients containing were then screen for immunoreactive fusion proteins. Twenty clones, each specifying strongly reactive serum, identified. sequence analysis indicated derived open frame segments corresponding gag pol gene coding regions also large region (env-lor) located near 3' end viral genome.