Flp recombinase has been used extensively for in vivo manipulation of eukaryotic DNA at specific sequences designated as FRT sites. We developed a method to use Flp-mediated recombination without the need for drug resistance or metabolic selection of cells in which recombination has occurred. We generated expression plasmids directing expression of fusion proteins consisting of Flp recombinase ...

We have developed a new ligand-dependent chimeric recombinase (Cre-GRdex) by fusing the site-specific Cre recombinase to the ligand binding domain (LBD) of a mutant human glucocorticoid receptor (GRdex). The synthetic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) ligands dexamethasone, triamcinolone acetonide and RU38486efficiently induce recombinase activity in F9 murine embryonal carcinoma cells expressing co...

Assembly of functional Ig and T cell receptor genes by V(D)J recombination depends on site-specific cleavage of chromosomal DNA by the RAG1/2 recombinase. As RAG1/2 action has mechanistic similarities to DNA transposases and integrases such as HIV-1 integrase, we sought to determine how integrase inhibitors of the diketo acid type would affect the various activities of RAG1/2. Both of the inhib...

Introduction HIV-1 integrates into the host chromosome and persists as a provirus flanked by long terminal repeats (LTR). To date, treatment regimens primarily target the virus enzymes, virus attachment or virus-cell fusion, but not the integrated provirus. Thus, current antiretroviral therapies (i.e. cART) cannot eradicate HIV-1, a fact that highlights the urgency of pursuing new strategies to...

Site-specific recombinases are important tools for genomic engineering in many living systems. Applications of recombinases are, however, constrained by the DNA targeting endemic of the recombinase used. A tremendous range of recombinase applications can be envisioned if the targeting of recombinase specificity can be made readily programmable. To address this problem we sought to generate zinc...

Gene profiling techniques allow the assay of transcripts from organs, tissues, and cells with an unprecedented level of coverage. However, most of these approaches are still limited by the fact that organs and tissues are composed of multiple cell types that are each unique in their patterns of gene expression. To identify the transcriptome from a single cell type in a complex tissue, investiga...

Site-specific recombinases have become essential tools in genetics and molecular biology for the precise excision or integration of DNA sequences. However, their utility is currently limited to circumstances where the sites recognized by the recombinase enzyme have been introduced into the DNA being manipulated, or natural 'pseudosites' are already present. Many new applications would become fe...