25 
group, not all would necessarily agree with Dr. Levine's "viiereas" 
preamble. Mr. Hx>mton noted the "vAiereas" statement was merely prefa- 
tory, and not formally part of the moticxi. Ey a vote of fourteen in 
favor, none opposed, and four abstentions, the RAC acc^ted the motion. 
Er. Mason asked if the Working Group on Revision of the Guidelines would 
consider this motion. Dr. Talbot replied they would. 
B. Proposed Use of EK2 Host-Vector Systems for Cloning DMA from Class 3 
and 4 Etiologic Agents 
Dr. Friedman then began discussion of a second proposal (tabs 1054, 
1056C/4) from Dr. Roy Curtiss of the Dhiversity of Alabama. Dr. Curtiss 
requested permission to use all certified EK2 host-vector sytems to 
clone DNA fragments from Class 3 and Class 4 etiologic agents under P2 
contaiment cxonditions. PI oontainment cxxild be employed if the recom- 
binant clones are shown not to express a virulence determinant that 
has toxic potential. 
As an alternative, if this general proposal were not accepted by RAC, 
Dr. Curtiss requested permission to clone ENA from Yersinia pestis and 
f^cobacterium leprae into EK2 host-vector systems mder P2 containn^ent 
conditions. PI conditions could be employed if virulence determinants 
are not expressed the recombinant clones. 
Dr. Friedman asked Dr. Gottesman how Dr. Curtiss' proposal dealing with 
Class 3 agents would be treated under the proposed revision of the 
Guidelines recommended earlier by RAC (Item IV above). Dr. Gottesnan 
replied that in the proposed revised Guidelines experiments, in which 
M^A from a Class 3 etiologic agent is cloned in a nonpathogenic prokar- 
yote, could be performed under P2 containment conditions. Uhder the 
current Guidelines, K^A from Class 3 agents may be cloned in EKl hosts 
under P3 containment conditions. She suggested it would be consistent 
with the current Guidelines to permit the investigator to lower 
physical containment to P2 if biological containment is raised to EK2. 
Dr. Friedman moved that ENA from Class 3 agents may be cloned in EK2 
host-vector systems inder P2 containment conditions; Class 4 agents, 
however, should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Er. Maas seconded 
the motion. ^ a vote of thirteen in favor, none opposed, and two 
abstentions, the RAC adopted the motiai. 
IX. REQUEST TO USE BACILLUS MEGATERIUM IN RECOMBINANT ENA EXPERIMENTS 
Dr. Holmes introduced the request (tabs 1051, 1056C/2) of Et. I^tricia 
Vary of Northern Illinois thiversity for permission to introduce recom- 
binant raJA derived from Staphylococcus aureus, ^ coli , and Bacillus 
subtilis into Bacillus megaterium mder PI conditions. In her letter of 
November 24, 1981, she al» requested that ^ megateriun be classified as 
[354] 
