MINUTES OF MEETING - December 6-7 
22 
ENA to host of origin." The use of these vectors was stipulated 
so that a small and fairly well defined amount of E. coli DNA 
would be returned to the host of origin. She said Dr. Hogness 
requests an amendment to this language to permit any EK1 vector 
to be used and returned with cloned ENA to the host of origin 
in Sections III-B-2, III-C-5 and III-C-6. She said this amend- 
ment would permit greater flexibility while not affecting safety 
and recommended that the RAC accept this proposal. 
During this discussion, Dr. Young noted that some of the EK2 and 
EK1 vectors carry antibiotic resistance markers, and he cited 
the prohibition against introducing antibiotic resistance traits 
into prokaryotes. It was agreed that if an experiment falls 
under prohibition I-D-5, the prohibition overrides. Dr. Young 
said a specific question is whether introducing a recombinant 
vector nade in E. coli into strain X to test whether antibiotic 
resistance is expressed is permissible. Dr. Campbell said that 
he thought this issue should be considered by the Plasmid Subcom- 
mittee. Dr. Set lew agreed and asked the Plasmid Subcommittee to 
study it. Dr. Maas said that the Plasmid Subcommittee should 
also address the question of using E. coli K-12 carrying 
conjugative plasmids as a host. 
Dr. Gottesman moved that the RAC accept the language suggested by 
Dr. Hogness for Sections III-B-2, III-C-5, and III-C-6. The RAC 
accepted this change by a vote of fifteen in favor, none opposed, 
with three abstentions. 
Dr. Gottesman began the presentation of the second part of 
Dr. Hogness' s proposal (tab 774/5) to amend Section III-C-7-a to 
include invertebrates. She said that the RAC had approved under 
the Guidelines the transfer of DNA from any nonprohibited source 
to cells in tissue culture or into vertebrate non human animals. 
She said the RAC's discussion at that time dealt extensively 
with what the modes of escape of recombinant DNA might be. In 
response to that discussion the RAC had limited the amount of 
viral DNA which could be introduced to one quarter of the viral 
genome. She said the second question considered was whether the 
anirral itself would escape. In response to this issue, the RAC 
limited cloning to vertebrates with the idea that vertebrates 
could be contained better than invertebrates, such as Drosoph i la . 
Dr. Gottesman said that Dr. Hogness requests this section new be 
extended to all non-human animals. Dr. Gottesman moved that the 
RAC reject this request as the question of escape remains relevant. 
The RAC accepted Dr. Gottesman's motion by a vote of fifteen in 
favor, two opposed, with two abstentions. Dr. Maas requested that 
he be recorded as voting opposed. 
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