Expression in mammalian cells of a gene from Streptomyces alboniger conferring puromycin resistance.

The gene encoding a puromycin N-acetyl transferase from Streptomyces alboniger has been cloned next to the SV40 early promoter in a mammalian cells-Escherichia coli shuttle vector. When this construction was introduced into VERO cells it expressed the relevant enzymic activity. Moreover, the puromycin N-acetyl transferase gene has been used as a dominant marker for the selection of transformed mammalian cells able to grow in the presence of the antibiotic.