Enhancer-dependent expression of the rat preproinsulin gene in bovine papillomavirus type 1 vectors

The 23-kilodalton E1 phosphoprotein of bovine papillomavirus type 1 is nonessential for stable plasmid replication in murine C127 cells

The 23-kDa protein encoded by the 5' segment of the E1 open reading frame of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) was previously ascribed a negative regulatory function for the replication of viral plasmid DNA. However, results from recent functional and biochemical studies do not readily support this genetic assignment. Therefore, we have reassessed the role of this protein in papillomavirus DNA replication by using a mutant of BPV1 which is unable to express this E1 protein. This mutant viral DNA was found to replicate extrachromosomally with stability and copy number per cell similar to those of wild-type plasmid DNA. Thus, the absence of expression of the 23-kDa E1 protein did not lead to deregulated viral plasmid replication. We conclude that the 23-kDa E1 protein is nonessential for stable plasmid replication.

Comparison of methods for introducing vectors based on bovine papillomavirus-1 DNA into mammalian cells

The intracellular structure of several vectors based on BPV-1 DNA has been analyzed following transfection into mouse C127 cells by the calcium phosphate method or, for the first time, by microinjection directly into the nucleus. It is shown that the method of introduction markedly affects the fate of a BPV-1 based vector. In general, microinjection appears to do little damage to DNA and is more likely to result in a vector replicating extrachromosomally as a monomeric structure of the same size as the input DNA. The method of selection for transformed cells, e.g., focus formation versus resistance to the neomycin analog G418, can also affect the intracellular state of the BPV-1 vector DNA. The nature of the recipient mammalian cell also influences whether a vector can replicate extrachromosomally or whether it integrates. BPV-1 based vectors, which replicated predominantly as multicopy intact extrachromosomal forms in mouse C127 cells, were always found to have integrated at low copy number in mouse LtAp20 cells.