Patent ID: 6599698
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: A61K,C07K,C12N,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A recombinant virus comprising a nucleic acid cassette that encodes a molecular switch for regulating expression from a promoter transcriptionally linked to a nucleic acid encoding a desired protein, the molecular switch comprising:(a) a DNA binding domain which binds the promoter; (b) a mutated steroid hormone receptor superfamily protein ligand binding domain mutated from a naturally occurring steroid hormone superfamily receptor protein ligand binding domain, wherein the mutation confers efficient activation of the molecular switch by an agonist which is an antagonist of the naturally occurring steroid hormone receptor superfamily protein; and (c) a transactivation domain which regulates transcription from the promoter when the mutated ligand binding domain is bound to the agonist and the DNA domain is bound to the promoter.