We recently have expressed a segment of the Xenopus laevis ets-2 gene in bacteria. The gene is related to the v-ets gene on the oncogenic avian retrovirus, E26. The expressed protein will be used to raise antibodies that will be used for studies on the ets- related proteins in that organism. Since Xenopus has been extensively studied by developmental biologists, this study should give insight into the function of the ets genes. The bacterially-expressed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sor protein (r-sor) produced by LMO has been shown to be of potential use in the diagnosis of latent HIV infection, since antibodies against r-sor appear before enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) seroconversion in many patients (Ranki et al. 1987;2:589- 93). Antibodies raised against r-sor have been used to verify the absence of the HIV p23 sor protein in cells infected with viruses with mutant sor genes and to demonstrate differences in the level of sor expression in different virus-infected cell lines (Fisher et al., Science, 1987;237:888-93).
