Lerner N, Brigham S, Goff S, Bank A
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.
DNA. 1987 Dec;6(6):573-82. doi: 10.1089/dna.1987.6.573.
A retroviral vector containing a 4.4-kb Pst I human beta S-globin gene and a neomycin resistance gene was used to infect NIH-3T3 and mouse erythroleukemia cells (MELC). In MELC, human beta-globin mRNA transcripts are transcribed and properly initiated and spliced. In some cases, there is an appropriate increase in beta-globin mRNA on addition of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), an inducer of hemoglobin synthesis and erythroid differentiation in these cells. When NIH-3T3 cells are infected with the same retroviral vector, there is less globin mRNA accumulation and no evidence for appropriate regulation. Human beta-globin gene expression in MELC clones induced with DMSO is 2-3% that of endogenous mouse beta-globin gene expression. These results indicate that retroviral vectors can be used to transfer and appropriately express human beta-globin genes in erythroid cells.
