Patent ID: 8617876

Claim:
An enhanced viral expression vector comprising (i) conserved region B from the rhodopsin gene having the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 93, or a variant thereof that can hybridize at stringent hybridization conditions 0.2XSCC, 0.1%SDS, to SEQ ID NO: 93, or that has at least 90% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 93, and wherein said variant provides enhanced expression when operatively linked to at least one suppression agent and/or at least one replacement nucleic acid and optionally (ii) at least one of the conserved regions selected from: conserved region C from the rhodopsin gene having the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 94, or a variant that can hybridize at stringent hybridization conditions 0.2XSCC, 0.1% SDS, to, or that has at least 90% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 94; conserved region F and G from the rhodopsin gene having the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 97 or a variant thereof that can hybridize at stringent hybridization conditions 0.2XSCC, 0.1% SDS, to SEQ ID NO: 97, or that has at least 90% sequence identity with, SEQ ID NO: 97; and conserved region A from the rhodopsin gene having the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 92 or a variant thereof that can hybridize at stringent hybridization conditions 0.2XSCC, 0.1% SDS to SEQ ID NO: 92, or that has at least 90% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 92.