Retroviral-mediated transfer of genomic globin genes leads to regulated production of RNA and protein.

A high-titer amphotropic retroviral vector containing the neomycin resistance gene and a hybrid gamma-beta genomic human globin gene has been constructed. Mouse erythroleukemia cells infected with this virus were found to contain the full transcriptional unit of the transferred human globin gene by Southern blot analysis. These cells contain normally initiated, spliced, and terminated human globin mRNA. The human globin mRNA level increased 5- to 10-fold upon induction of the mouse erythroleukemia cells. Human globin chains were produced but only in a fraction of the cells as detected by immunofluorescent staining. A similar retrovirus containing a human beta-globin gene was used to transduce mouse erythroleukemia cells resulting in much higher levels of human globin synthesis than detected in mouse erythroleukemia cells transduced with the gamma-beta globin virus.