FEBRUARY 15-16 - MINUTES OF MEETING 
27 
XX. ADDITION OF SECTION III-C-6, RETURN OF DNA SEGMENTS TO A HIGHER 
EUKARYOTIC HOST OF ORIGIN . 
The RAC considered the following proposal to add a new Section (III-C-6) 
to the Guidelines to permit the return of DNA segments to a higher eukaryo- 
tic host of origin: 
"III-C-6. Return of DNA Segments to a Higher Eukaryotic Host 
of Origin . DNA from a higher eukaryote (Host D) may be 
inserted into a lambdoid phage vector or into a vector from 
a certified EK2 host-vector system and propagated in E. coli 
K-12 under the appropriate containment conditions [see Section 
III-A-1] . Subsequently, this recombinant DNA may be returned 
to Host D and propagated under conditions of physical contain- 
ment comparable to PI and appropriate to the organism under 
study. [2A]" 
The RAC noted that the revised Guidelines do not address the question 
of cloning within a higher eukaryote or cultured cells derived therefrom 
of DNA taken from the same species, joined to a vector and cloned in 
Escherichia coli K-12, and then returned to cells of the species of 
erg in. Analogous clauses exist for returning DNA from Escherichia coli 
to a species of origin from prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes. The experi- 
ment is essentially a "self-cloning" experiment and therefore does not 
require high levels of physical containment. Most such experiments 
would be exempt from the Guidelines altogether were it not for the fact 
that the DNA, when returned to the host of origin, is joined to the DNA 
of the cloning vector, which is of bacterial origin. These vectors 
comprise a small number of well-characterized harmless DNA molecules. 
The types of physical containment (PI through P4) defined in the Guide- 
lines are applicable to the propagation of microorganisms and to tissue 
cultures, but not to whole multicellular organisms. Thus, it is 
inpractical to require PI containment, and more appropriate to require 
conditions providing a degree of containment comparable to PI. 
The announcement in the January 15, 1979 Federal Register drew three 
letters of comment prior to the February 15-16, 1979 RAC meeting. All 
three comments requested that the proposal be changed to permit the 
transfer of DNA segments to a heterologous eukaryote instead of only to 
the host of origin. The RAC felt that adoption of this proposed change 
would constitute a major change that would require an additional period 
for comment. 
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