We have constructed and functionally tested a cassette-vector-system for the transcription and translation of open reading frames (ORFs) in cells of higher eukaryotes. The vectors are derived from the plasmid pBR322 and can be selected and amplified in Escherichia coli. Alternative eukaryotic promoters can be inserted between the restriction sites SphI and KpnI, translation initiation motifs between KpnI and BglII, linkers for the adjustment of the translation reading frame and the insertion of genes or gene segments between BglII and HindIII, followed by a HindIII-EcoRI segment with splicing and polyadenylation signals derived from SV40. A prototype vector system, pORFEX11, 12 and 13, contains the strong cytomegalovirus immediately early promoter and a 10-bp motif of the SV40 T-antigen translation start. Polylinkers derived from pUC18 permit the insertion of ATG-less ORFs downstream from the ATG of the vector. Either of the three alternative polylinkers adjusts the appropriate translation frame. A similar construct contains the regulatable promoter of the Drosophila heat shock gene 70. We inserted genes or gene segments, that code for the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, the bacterial gene conferring resistance against hygromycin, and the ORF E7 of the human papillomavirus type 18 into these vectors. After transfection of mouse L fibroblasts, all proteins and functions were expressed in accordance with the prediction. In transiently transfected L cells, the E7 protein expressed from pORFEX12 constitutes approximately 2.0% of total cell protein. This E7 protein could be localized by immunocytochemistry as a cytoplasmic component.