Does the naked DNA contain one of the following sequences?

a) Sequences of viral origin (see explanation), with the exception of the following sequences:

  • a CMV promoter
  • an RSV promoter
  • an SV40 polyadenylation signal
  • an SV40 nuclear targeting sequence

b) Antibiotic-resistance genes, other than those conferring resistance solely to kanamycin or neomycin

Click on the correct answer:

Yes, the nucleic acid contains at least one of the sequences above.

No, the nucleic acid contains none of the sequences above.

Explanation

The excepted viral sequences are specified below. This information is also provided in the standard environmental risk assessment for naked DNA.

  • The CMV promoter is the Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV, HHV-5) major immediate-early protein gene promoter with a sequence of a maximum length such as established in the Nucleotide Database of the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) (Genbank Accession number M60321).
  • The RSV promoter is the Rous sarcoma virus (Schmidt-Ruppin) promoter with a sequence of a maximum length such as established in the Nucleotide Database of the NCBI (Genbank Accession number J02025.1).
  • The SV40 polyadenylation signal is a sequence of the Simian virus 40(SV40) with a maximum length of around 200 to 300 base pairs.
  • The SV40 nuclear targeting sequence is a sequence with an average length of 100 base pairs of the Simian virus 40 (SV40).