E. coli β-Glucuronidase (GUS) as a Marker for Recombinant Vaccinia Viruses

摘要

The isolation of recombinant vaccinia viruses is facilitated by the incorporation of the Escherichia coli lacZ gene encoding β-galactosidase (β-gal) into transfer vectors. Co-expression of lacZ with the foreign gene of interest permits use of a simple color screening assay for the identification of recombinant viruses, which usually comprise a minor fraction of the total progeny. However, the relatively large size of the lacZ gene (3.1 kb) and the presence of multiple restriction en-donuclease sites within the coding region sometimes complicate its use in cloning vectors.