University of Nebraska

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Board of Regents

Amitava Mitra

James L Van Etten

Robert H Silverman

The invention is directed to novel promoters or mutants thereof from Chlorella virus DNA methyltansferase genes. A Chlorella virus gene promoter is operably linked to a first and/or second DNA sequence encoding a gene that is different from the Chlorella virus to form an expression cassette. An expression cassette can be introduced into prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic cells and can provide for a high level of expression of the gene encoded by the first and/or second DNA sequence. The invention also provides a method for screening other Chlorella virus genes for promoters that can function to express a heterologous gene in prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic hosts.

Promoters from chlorella virus genes providing for expression of genes in prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts

The invention is directed to novel promoters or mutants thereof from Chlorella virus DNA methyltransferase genes. A Chlorella virus gene promoter is operably linked to a first and/or second DNA sequence encoding a gene that is different from the Chlorella virus gene to form an expression cassette. An expression cassette can be introduced into prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic cells and can provide for a high level of expression of the gene encoded by the first and/or second DNA sequence. The invention also provides a method for screening other Chlorella virus genes for promoters that can function to express a heterologous gene in prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic hosts.

Novel transgenic plants having the ability to express a functional 2-5A system, i.e., a 2-5A synthetase which produces 5'-phosphorylated, 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) in response to double stranded RNA (dsRNA), and a 2-5A-dependent (RNase L), are disclosed. The novel transgenic plants expressing the functional 2-5A system, such as novel transgenic tobacco plants, are immune to and resistant against viral infection. When the novel transgenic tobacco plants are exposed to three different types of plant viruses, i.e., TMV, TEV and AIMV, such viral exposure leads to necrotic local lesions in such transgenic tobacco plants instead of typical systemic infections.

Growing community of inventors

Lincoln, NE, United States of America

Amitava Mitra