Modified Lepidopteran Receptors and Hybrid Multifunctional Proteins for Use in Transcription and Regulation of Transgene Expression

Inventors: Fred H. Gage and Steven T. Suhr
Potential Uses: Gene Expression

A modified nuclear receptor capable of activating and regulating transgene expression

This invention relates to nuclear receptor proteins isolated from the silk moth bombyx mori (bR) which are useful for the regulation of transgene expression. bR is generally thought to be a strong transcriptional regulator within cells of the silk moth. It has been discovered that bR is also functional in mammalian cells and that the addition of activation domains to the bR open-reading frame enhances the activity of the ligand modulated regulator to afford high-level transcriptional induction. Further modifications to the bR ligand binding domain result in receptors with unique transactivational characteristics. The small size and simplicity of these proteins makes them particularly attractive for use in retroviral vectors.