Plasmid vectors have been widely used for DNA vaccines and gene therapy. Following intramuscular injection, the plasmid that persists is extrachromosomal and integration into host DNA, if it occurs at all, is negligible. However, new technologies for improving DNA delivery could increase the frequency of integration. In the present study, we tested the effect of electroporation on plasmid uptake and potential integration following intramuscular injection in mice, using a plasmid containing the mouse erythropoietin gene. Electroporation increased plasmid tissue levels by approximately six-to 34-fold. Using a quantitative gel-purification assay for integration, electroporation was found to markedly increase the level of plasmid associated with high-molecular-weight genomic DNA. To confirm integration and identify the insertion sites, we developed a new assay -referred to as repeat-anchored integration capture (RAIC) PCR -that is capable of detecting rare integration events in a complex mixture in vivo. Using this assay, we identified four independent integration events. Sequencing of the insertion sites suggested a random integration process, but with short segments of homology between the vector breakpoint and the insertion site in three of the four cases. This is the first definitive demonstration of integration of plasmid DNA into genomic DNA following injection in vivo.

p270 (ARID1A) is a member of the ARID family of DNA-binding proteins and a subunit of human SWI/SNF-related complexes, which use the energy generated by an integral ATPase subunit to remodel chromatin. ARID1B is an independent gene product with an open reading frame that is more than 60% identical with p270. We have generated monoclonal antibodies specific for either p270 or ARID1B to facilitate the investigation of ARID1B and its potential interaction with human SWI/SNF complexes in vivo. Immunocomplex analysis provides direct evidence that endogenous ARID1B is associated with SWI/SNF-related complexes and indicates that p270 and ARID1B, similar to the ATPase subunits BRG1 and hBRM, are alternative, mutually exclusive subunits of the complexes. The ARID-containing subunits are not specific to the ATPases. Each associates with both BRG1 and hBRM, thus increasing the number of distinct subunit combinations known to be present in cells. Analysis of the panels of cell lines indicates that ARID1B, similar to p270, has a broad tissue distribution. The ratio of p270/ARID1B in typical cells is approx. 3.5:1, and BRG1 is distributed proportionally between the two ARID subunits. Analysis of DNA-binding behaviour indicates that ARID1B binds DNA in a non-sequence-specific manner similar to p270.

A variety of factors could affect the frequency of integration of plasmid DNA vaccines into host cellular DNA, including DNA sequences within the plasmid, the expressed gene product (antigen), the formulation, delivery method, route of administration, and the type of cells exposed to the plasmid. In this report, we examined the tissue distribution and potential integration of plasmid DNA vaccines following intramuscular administration in mice and guinea pigs. We compared needle versus Biojector (needleless jet) delivery, examined the effect of aluminum phosphate adjuvants, compared the results of different plasmid DNA vaccines, and tested a gene (the human papilloma virus E7 gene) whose protein product is known to increase integration frequency in vitro. Six weeks following intramuscular injection, the vast majority of the plasmid was detected in the muscle and skin near the injection site; lower levels of plasmid were also detected in the draining lymph nodes. At early time points (1–7 days) after injection, a low level of systemic exposure could be detected. Occasionally, plasmid was detected in gonads, but it dissipated rapidly and was extrachromosomal – indicating a low risk of germline transmission. Aluminum phosphate adjuvant had no effect on the tissue distribution and did not result in a detectable increase in integration frequency. Biojector delivery, compared with needle injection, greatly increased the uptake of plasmid (particularly in skin at the injection site), but did not result in a detectable increase in integration frequency. Finally, injection of a plasmid DNA vaccine containing the human papilloma virus type 16 E7 gene, known to increase integration in vitro, did not result in detectable integration in mice. These results suggest that the risk of integration following intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA is low under a variety of experimental conditions.

p270 is an integral member of human SWI-SNF complexes, first identified through its shared antigenic specificity with p300 and CREB binding protein. The deduced amino acid sequence of p270 reported here indicates that it is a member of an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins distinguished by the presence of a DNA binding motif termed ARID (AT-rich interactive domain). The ARID consensus and other structural features are common to both p270 and yeast SWI1, suggesting that p270 is a human counterpart of SWI1. The approximately 100-residue ARID sequence is present in a series of proteins strongly implicated in the regulation of cell growth, development, and tissue-specific gene expression. Although about a dozen ARID proteins can be identified from database searches, to date, only Bright (a regulator of B-cell-specific gene expression), dead ringer (a Drosophila melanogaster gene product required for normal development), and MRF-2 (which represses expression from the cytomegalovirus enhancer) have been analyzed directly in regard to their DNA binding properties. Each binds preferentially to AT-rich sites. In contrast, p270 shows no sequence preference in its DNA binding activity, thereby demonstrating that AT-rich binding is not an intrinsic property of ARID domains and that ARID family proteins may be involved in a wider range of DNA interactions.SWI-SNF complexes were first identified in yeast cells, where they are involved in the regulation of an array of inducible genes including those required for the mating type switch and sucrose fermentation pathways (16, 28). More-recent studies suggest that these complexes have a more general role in the regulation of gene expression. The isolation and characterization of Drosophila melanogaster and mammalian homologs of many of the yeast complex members suggest that SWI-SNF complexes play fundamental roles in the regulation of gene expression during cell growth and development in all organisms (reviewed in reference 14; 17).Although SWI-SNF complexes have demonstrated DNA binding capabilities (29), the source of this activity in the complexes remains unclear. The only DNA binding protein identified to date in mammalian SWI-SNF complexes is BAF-57, which has a DNA binding activity restricted to four-way junction DNA. SWI-SNF complexes lacking a functional BAF-57 retain DNA binding activity, indicating that other DNA binding components must be present (41).p270 is an integral member of human SWI-SNF complexes, first identified through its shared antigenic specificity with p300 and CREB binding protein (CBP) (5, 6). The p300/CBP/p270 cross-reactive antibodies coprecipitate a series of proteins that includes the mammalian SWI-SNF complex components BRG1, BAF-170, BAF-155, and hSNF5/Ini1. Conversely, antibodies directed against the individual human SWI-SNF complex components BRG1 and BAF-155 immunoprecipitate p270, as demonstrated by reactivity with a p270-specific antibody (6). The sequence of p270 described here indicates that this protein contains a highly conserved...

p300 and the closely related CREB binding protein (CBP) are transcriptional adaptors that are present in intracellular complexes with TATA binding protein (TBP) and bind to upstream activators including p53 and nuclear hormone receptors. They have intrinsic and associated histone acetyltransferase activity, suggesting that chromatin modification is an essential part of their role in regulating transcription. Detailed characterization of a panel of antibodies raised against p300/CBP has revealed the existence of a 270-kDa cellular protein, p270, distinct from p300 and CBP but sharing at least two independent epitopes with p300. The subset of p300/CBP-derived antibodies that cross-reacts with p270 consistently coprecipitates a series a cellular proteins with relative molecular masses ranging from 44 to 190 kDa. Purification and analysis of various proteins in this group reveals that they are components of the human SWI/SNF complex and that p270 is an integral member of this complex.The cellular protein p300 is a direct target of the transforming functions of the adenovirus E1A gene (19, 51) and as such is implicated in the regulation of both cell cycle-specific and tissue-specific gene expression (18,27,38,43,46,52,54). p300 is highly homologous (about 64% identical) to the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) coactivator, CBP (CREB binding protein) (5,11,17,30,34). Both p300 and CBP are present in intracellular complexes with the TATA binding protein (TBP) (1, 13). Both act as cofactors for p53 (6,21,33,44) and nuclear hormone receptors (9,24,28). Both also contain intrinsic and associated histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity (39, 53), suggesting that chromatin modification is an essential part of their role in regulating transcription.A recent detailed characterization of a panel of antibodies raised against a mixture of native p300 and CBP revealed the existence of a 270-kDa cellular protein, distinct from p300 and CBP but sharing at least two independent antigenic determinants with p300 (13). Four of the eleven antibodies in the panel recognize p270. The subset of p300/CBP-derived antibodies that recognizes p270 consistently coprecipitates a series of cellular proteins with relative molecular masses ranging from 44 to 190 kDa. Typical of these is the antibody designated NM1, whose immunoprecipitation pattern is shown in Fig. 1. TBPspecific antibodies coprecipitate a subset of these proteins including p300, CBP, and the phosphoprotein species indicated in Fig. 1 as p64 and p59 (1, 13). Because the TBP-specific antibodies do not coprecipitate all of the p300 family-associated proteins, it is likely that the array of proteins seen in Fig. 1 represents more than one intracellular complex.We have now identified four of the remaining p300/CBP/ p270-associated proteins as members of another important cellular complex: the mammalian SWI/SNF complex. The 190-kDa protein visible in the p300-related complex is BRG1, the human homolog of the yeast transcriptional activator, SWI2/ SNF2. The 170-and 155-k...