PORTABLE INTRON AS AN INSERTION VECTOR FOR GENE INSERTION

摘要

The portable intron of this invention is an isolated DNA molecule which contains, in the order from 5' to 3', a splice donor sequence, a multiple cloning sequence, a lariat branch acceptor sequence, a pyrimidine-rich sequence and a splice acceptor sequence. When a foreign gene is inserted into the multiple cloning site of the portable intron, and the portable intron is inserted into a host gene in the appropriate orientation, both the foreign gene and the host gene can be simultaneously transcribed and expressed. Alternatively, the portable intron can be inserted into the host gene in a manner which permits expression of the foreign gene without expression of the host gene. The portable intron is useful for expressing in an animal a gene that is not normally expressed in the animal or for correcting a defect in the animal's expression of the gene. The portable intron is also useful for inhibiting a single function of a multifunctional protein expressed by a host gene.