Compositions and methods for non-targeted activation of endogenous genes

Abstract

The field of the invention is activating gene expression or causing over-expression of a gene by recombination methods in situ. The invention relates to expresssing an endogenous gene in a cell at levels higher than those normally found in the cell. Expression of the gene is activated or increased following integration, by non-homolgous or illegitimate recombination, of a regulatory sequence that activates expression of the gene. The method allows the identification and expression of gene undiscovered by current methods since no target sequence is necessary for integration. Thus, gene products associated with human disease and development are obtainable from gene that have not been sequenced and indeed, whose existence is unknown, as well as from well characterized genes. The methods provide gene products from such genes for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In one embodiment the vector comprises a promoter, an exon, and an unpaired splice donor sequence, the exon being derived from a eukaryotic gene.