VectorBuilder’s regular plasmid Tet regulatory protein expression vector can be used for simple transfection-based delivery of Tet regulatory protein(s) (tTS, rtTA, etc.) into mammalian cells to help you achieve tetracycline-inducible expression of target genes placed downstream of a tetracycline responsive-element (TRE) promoter.
The Tet-On inducible system is a powerful tool to control the timing of expression of the gene(s) of interest (GOI) in mammalian cells. Our Tet-On inducible gene expression vectors are designed to achieve nearly complete silencing of a GOI in the absence of tetracycline and its analogs (e.g. doxycycline), and strong, rapid expression in response to the addition of tetracycline or one of its analogs (e.g. doxycycline). This is achieved through a multicomponent system which incorporates active silencing by the tTS protein in the absence of tetracycline and strong activation by the rtTA protein in the presence of tetracycline. In the absence of tetracycline, the tTS protein derived from the fusion of TetR (Tet repressor protein) and KRAB-AB (the transcriptional repressor domain of Kid-1 protein) binds to the TRE promoter, leading to the active suppression of gene transcription. The rtTA protein, on the other hand, derived from the fusion of a mutant Tet repressor and VP16 (the transcription activator domain of virion protein 16 of herpes simplex virus), binds to the TRE promoter to activate gene transcription only in the presence of tetracycline.
While our regular plasmid Tet regulatory protein expression vector includes an expression cassette consisting of the Tet regulatory protein(s) driven by a user-selected promoter, the GOI driven by the TRE promoter must be provided using a separate helper vector to achieve tetracycline induced gene expression in the presence of tetracycline, while minimizing leaky expression in the absence of tetracycline.
Delivering plasmid vectors into mammalian cells by conventional transfection is one of the most widely used procedures in biomedical research. While a number of more sophisticated gene delivery vector systems have been developed over the years such as lentiviral vectors, adenovirus vectors, AAV vectors and piggyBac, conventional plasmid transfection remains the workhorse of gene delivery in many labs. This is largely due to its technical simplicity as well as good efficiency in a wide range of cell types. A key feature of transfection with regular plasmid vectors is that it is transient, with only a very low fraction of cells stably integrating the plasmid in the genome (typically less than 1%).
For further information about this vector system, please refer to the papers below.