Bacteriophage therapy for the treatment of infections

Increasing levels of antibiotic resistance constitutes one of the main challenges in medicine today, and has increased interest in the potential use of alternative antibacterial agents. One of the most interesting 'classes' of novel antibacterials used to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria is bacteriophages, which are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacterial cells. This review discusses the current status of bacteriophage therapy, including the experience of one expert center specializing in this form of treatment.

Isolation of human chromosome 21 sequences and their application to in situ hybridization

We report the isolation of 50 independent unique sequences from a human chromosome 21 library (identification code LA21 NSO1). These sequences were individually assigned to chromosome 21 using a mouse-human somatic hybrid cell line, WAVR 4d-F94a. Use of these unique clones as a mixture of probes for in situ hybridization of human metaphase chromosomes demonstrated strong signals on chromosome 21. These unique DNA sequences should provide useful tools for structural and functional analysis of human chromosome 21. The use of these sequences for the detection of Down syndrome is discussed.

Identification and chromosomal mapping of a duplicated X-specific human sequence

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Cosmid vectors for high efficiency DNA-mediated transformation and gene amplification in mammalian cells: studies with the human growth hormone gene

We have constructed two new recombinant cosmid vectors that can be used for direct expression and amplification of genomic DNA in mammalian cells. The vectors allow cloning of DNA fragments up to 40 kb in size. Each carries two dominant selectable markers: the bacterial neo gene and the mouse DHFR gene. In the first vector, pCV001, the neo and DHFR genes are regulated by the SV40 early promoter, and in the second, pAVCV007, by the avian sarcoma virus LTR promoter. The neo gene served as a dominant marker for the selection of transformants in all mammalian cell types, and we demonstrate here that the LTR promoter significantly improved the efficiency of DNA-mediated transformation of a human cell line. We isolated the human growth hormone genes from genomic libraries prepared in these cosmid vectors and used these recombinant cosmids for direct transfections of cultured cells. Selection of transformants in increasing concentrations of methotrexate led to the outgrowth of resistant cell populations carrying amplified copies of the DHFR marker. A 40-1000-fold coamplification of the hGH genes was observed in the different transfected cell lines, along with a corresponding increase in transcription and translation activity of the hGH gene. Gene amplification could be achieved in both DHFR deficient or normal cell lines. High level expression of a cloned gene mediated by gene amplification should facilitate characterization of DNA sequences, as well as isolation of specific gene products for biochemical, functional, and pharmacological studies.