David Baltimore

Bio: David Baltimore is an academic researcher from California Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: RNA & Virus. The author has an hindex of 203, co-authored 876 publications receiving 162955 citations. Previous affiliations of David Baltimore include Thomas Jefferson University & Johns Hopkins University.

Assignment of the receptor for ecotropic murine leukemia virus to mouse chromosome 5

Abstract: The gene for the receptor for ecotropic murine leukemia virus (Rev) has been assigned to mouse chromosome 5. This determination was made possible by an analysis of somatic cell hybrids between mouse and Chinese hamster cells. The parents of these hybrids were A/HeJ or Mus poschiavinus peritoneal exudate cells or BALB/c primary embryo fibroblasts and E36, a Chinese hamster lung fibroblast deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. Segregation of mouse chromosomes in these hybrids was analyzed by chromosome banding and isozyme expression. Cells were tested for their ability to absorb and replicate vesicular stomatitis virus (murine leukemia virus [MuLV]) pseudotype particles and ecotropic MuLV as measured by the XC test. The presence of chromosome 5 was essential for receptor expression as determined by three statistical procedures. Segregation of the receptor for ecotropic murine leukemia virus was also followed in two series of subclones. In both, receptor expression was syntenic with phosphoglucomutase-1, an isozyme which has been mapped to mouse chromosome 5.

Isolated poliovirus capsid protein VP1 induces a neutralizing response in rats

Abstract: Antibodies were raised in rats against the poliovirus type 1 capsid proteins, VP1, VP2, and VP3. Antibodies directed against VP1 from type 1 poliovirus (Mahoney) neutralized type 1 but not type 2 poliovirus. Antibodies raised against VP2 and VP3 failed to neutralize type 1 virus. Thus, VP1 appears to be a neutralizing antigen for poliovirus and in its denatured form presents to the immune system its neutralizing determinants.

Synthesis of immunoglobulin mu chain gene products precedes synthesis of light chains during B-lymphocyte development

Abstract: Immunoglobulin (Ig) gene expression has been followed during the later stages of development of the murine fetal liver. Biosynthetic labeling and immunoprecipitation were used to isolate Ig-related polypeptides from fetal and neonatal livers. By examination of the specific immune precipitates, the earliest detectable Ig was shown to consist only of mu heavy chain. At about the time of birth, when light chain synthesis became evident, separation of surface Ig-positive cells from surface Ig-negative cells by using anti-Ig-coated dishes showed that cells lacking surface Ig (pre-B lymphocytes) synthesized only mu chains. Thus, commencement of light chain synthesis was closely coordinated with the appearance of surface Ig. Ig RNA species were examined by electrophoretic fractionation and hybridization with cloned Ig DNA sequences. The sizes and amounts of Ig mRNA were found to correlate with the pattern of mu and light chain protein biosynthesis. mu chain RNA species appeared earlier in gestation than light chain RNA did, and only after birth did light chain sequences reach levels equivalent to those of mu chain. Cell populations enriched in pre-B lymphocytes also contained an excess of mu over light chain mRNA.

Vectored antibody gene delivery protects against Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite challenge in mice

Abstract: Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum kills nearly one million children each year and imposes crippling economic burdens on families and nations worldwide. No licensed vaccine exists, but infection can be prevented by antibodies against the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), the major surface protein of sporozoites, the form of the parasite injected by mosquitoes. We have used vectored immunoprophylaxis (VIP), an adeno-associated virus-based technology, to introduce preformed antibody genes encoding anti-P. falciparum CSP mAb into mice. VIP vector-transduced mice exhibited long-lived mAb expression at up to 1,200 µg/mL in serum, and up to 70% were protected from both i.v. and mosquito bite challenge with transgenic Plasmodium berghei rodent sporozoites that incorporate the P. falciparum target of the mAb in their CSP. Serum antibody levels and protection from mosquito bite challenge were dependent on the dose of the VIP vector. All individual mice expressing CSP-specific mAb 2A10 at 1 mg/mL or more were completely protected, suggesting that in this model system, exceeding that threshold results in consistent sterile protection. Our results demonstrate the potential of VIP as a path toward the elusive goal of immunization against malaria.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems

Abstract: Functional elucidation of causal genetic variants and elements requires precise genome editing technologies. The type II prokaryotic CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas adaptive immune system has been shown to facilitate RNA-guided site-specific DNA cleavage. We engineered two different type II CRISPR/Cas systems and demonstrate that Cas9 nucleases can be directed by short RNAs to induce precise cleavage at endogenous genomic loci in human and mouse cells. Cas9 can also be converted into a nicking enzyme to facilitate homology-directed repair with minimal mutagenic activity. Lastly, multiple guide sequences can be encoded into a single CRISPR array to enable simultaneous editing of several sites within the mammalian genome, demonstrating easy programmability and wide applicability of the RNA-guided nuclease technology.

Activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor underlying responsiveness of non-small-cell lung cancer to gefitinib

Abstract: BACKGROUND Most patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have no response to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, which targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However, about 10 percent of patients have a rapid and often dramatic clinical response. The molecular mechanisms underlying sensitivity to gefitinib are unknown. METHODS We searched for mutations in the EGFR gene in primary tumors from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who had a response to gefitinib, those who did not have a response, and those who had not been exposed to gefitinib. The functional consequences of identified mutations were evaluated after the mutant proteins were expressed in cultured cells. RESULTS Somatic mutations were identified in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGFR gene in eight of nine patients with gefitinib-responsive lung cancer, as compared with none of the seven patients with no response (P<0.001). Mutations were either small, in-frame deletions or amino acid substitutions clustered around the ATP-binding pocket of the tyrosine kinase domain. Similar mutations were detected in tumors from 2 of 25 patients with primary non-small-cell lung cancer who had not been exposed to gefitinib (8 percent). All mutations were heterozygous, and identical mutations were observed in multiple patients, suggesting an additive specific gain of function. In vitro, EGFR mutants demonstrated enhanced tyrosine kinase activity in response to epidermal growth factor and increased sensitivity to inhibition by gefitinib. CONCLUSIONS A subgroup of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have specific mutations in the EGFR gene, which correlate with clinical responsiveness to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. These mutations lead to increased growth factor signaling and confer susceptibility to the inhibitor. Screening for such mutations in lung cancers may identify patients who will have a response to gefitinib.

Multiplex Genome Engineering Using CRISPR/Cas Systems

Abstract: Genome Editing Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) function as part of an adaptive immune system in a range of prokaryotes: Invading phage and plasmid DNA is targeted for cleavage by complementary CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) bound to a CRISPR-associated endonuclease (see the Perspective by van der Oost). Cong et al. (p. 819, published online 3 January) and Mali et al. (p. 823, published online 3 January) adapted this defense system to function as a genome editing tool in eukaryotic cells. A bacterial genome defense system is adapted to function as a genome-editing tool in mammalian cells. [Also see Perspective by van der Oost] Functional elucidation of causal genetic variants and elements requires precise genome editing technologies. The type II prokaryotic CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas adaptive immune system has been shown to facilitate RNA-guided site-specific DNA cleavage. We engineered two different type II CRISPR/Cas systems and demonstrate that Cas9 nucleases can be directed by short RNAs to induce precise cleavage at endogenous genomic loci in human and mouse cells. Cas9 can also be converted into a nicking enzyme to facilitate homology-directed repair with minimal mutagenic activity. Lastly, multiple guide sequences can be encoded into a single CRISPR array to enable simultaneous editing of several sites within the mammalian genome, demonstrating easy programmability and wide applicability of the RNA-guided nuclease technology.

Translating the Histone Code

Abstract: Chromatin, the physiological template of all eukaryotic genetic information, is subject to a diverse array of posttranslational modifications that largely impinge on histone amino termini, thereby regulating access to the underlying DNA. Distinct histone amino-terminal modifications can generate synergistic or antagonistic interaction affinities for chromatin-associated proteins, which in turn dictate dynamic transitions between transcriptionally active or transcriptionally silent chromatin states. The combinatorial nature of histone amino-terminal modifications thus reveals a “histone code” that considerably extends the information potential of the genetic code. We propose that this epigenetic marking system represents a fundamental regulatory mechanism that has an impact on most, if not all, chromatin-templated processes, with far-reaching consequences for cell fate decisions and both normal and pathological development.