Princeton University

Steven B Baim

Thomas E Shenk

Arnold J Levine

Mark A Labow

The present invention relates to novel chimeric transactivating proteins comprising a functional portion of a DNA binding protein and a functional portion of a transcriptional activator protein. The chimeric transactivating proteins of the invention offer a variety of advantages, including the specific activation of expression of genes engineered to comprise transactivator responsive elements, thereby achieving exceptionally high levels of gene expression. Furthermore, in various embodiments of the invention, the transactivator proteins may be used to increase expression of some genes while repressing the expression of others, thus permitting a greater degree of control of gene expression patterns than other currently available systems. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the function of the chimeric transactivator proteins may be induced, for example, by chemical agents (e.g. IPTG) or changes in temperature. In a preferred specific embodiment of the invention, the ability to switch transactivator function on and off may be utilized in the context of transgenic animals and to develop cell lines capable of differentiation.

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Princeton, NJ, United States of America

Steven B Baim