Comparison of in vivo activities of 5'-connected and 3'-connected cis-acting ribozymes: selection of intracellularly active ribozymes using the gene for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) as a selective marker in Escherichia coli

Journal of Biochemistry
M HamadaK Taira

Abstract

If ribozymes are to be exploited in vivo, it is necessary to select ribozymes that are functional in the intracellular environment. Ribozymes selected in the intracellular environment should retain their function in vivo as well as in vitro. We have devised a novel system for selection of active ribozymes from pools of active and inactive ribozymes using the gene for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) as a selective marker. In our first attempt, a sequence encoding either an active or an inactive ribozyme was connected upstream of the gene for DHFR. Each plasmid was designed such that, when the ribozyme was active, the ribozyme would cleave the target site and, as a result, the rate of production of DHFR would be high enough to endow resistance to trimethoprim (TMP). However, a critical defect may be associated with introduction of a ribozyme upstream of the DHFR gene because, during actual screening for active ribozymes on the 5' side from a pool of random sequences, there is the danger of selecting sequences that are not related to the activity of ribozymes. Indeed, some upstream linker sequences affected the level of expression of the DHFR protein and, as a result, the resistance of Escherichia coli to TMP. Therefore, we newly c...Continue Reading

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