Patent ID: 6566093
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: A61K,A61P,C12N

Abstract:
A DNA construct comprising a first polynucleotide that comprises a promoter functional in a mammalian cell, operatively linked to a second polynucleotide that encodes the (+) strand of a recombinant alphavirus genome that comprises in the order stated:(a) the complement of the 5â€² terminal genomic sequence of an alphavirus that is essential for replication of the RNA of said alphavirus, (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding the replicase proteins of said alphavirus, (c) an alphavirus subgenomic promoter, (d) at least one nucleotide sequence exogenous to said alphavirus, operatively linked to said alphavirus subgenomic promoter to provide for transcription of said at least one nucleotide sequence exogenous to said alphavirus when said DNA construct is present in a host cell, (e) the complement of the 3â€² terminal genomic sequence of said alphavirus that is essential for replication of the RNA of said alphavirus, and (f) a nucleotide sequence complementary to a nucleotide sequence that functions as a self-cleaving ribozyme wherein said nucleotide sequence complementary to a nucleotide sequence that functions as a self-cleaving ribozyme is located at the 3â€²-end of said nucleotide sequence encoding the (+) strand of said alphavirus genome.