Patent ID: 7119187

Claim:
A nucleic acid vector for the expression of at least two cistrons comprising: a. a promoter operably linked to a nucleotide sequence comprising at least two cistrons; and b. a nucleotide sequence that provides IRES activity operably linked to each cistron subsequent to the first cistron, wherein at least one of the nucleotide sequences that provide IRES activity comprises a nucleotide sequence chosen from: a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1–215 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 45–239 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 45–215 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1–74 and 187–239 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1–74 and 187–215 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence that differs from a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO. 1 by substitution of the nucleotides at positions 124–127 of SEQ ID NO. 1; a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO. 2; a nucleotide sequence that differs from a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO. 2 by substitution of the nucleotides at positions 136–139 of SEQ ID NO. 2; and a nucleotide sequence that differs from a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO. 2 by substitution of the nucleotides at positions 126–129 of SEQ ID NO. 2.