Expression of Varicella-Zoster Virus-related Antigens in Biochemically Transformed Cells

Abstract

methionine-labelled extracts, and, of these, the 35K band showed marked intensity. However, this band was not detected in extracts from cells infected with a VZV tk-strain (Kanno strain). Also, the 35K polypeptide showed very low intensity when immunoprecipitated from extracts of transformed cells grown in non-selective (NS) medium, i.e. cells that had a very low thymidine kinase (tk) activity. In the case of [32p]orthophosphate-labelled cells, polypeptides of apparent mol. wt. 180K, 81K, 48K, 44K and 37K were obtained. In both instances, the 44K polypeptide was not immunoprecipitated from L(K)cl 1 cell extracts. From our data it is postulated that the expression of the 35K polypeptide is correlated with the VZV-specific tk activity of the cells.

Molecular Analysis of the Pyrimidine Deoxyribonucleoside Kinase Gene of Wild-type and Acyclovir-resistant Strains of Varicella-Zoster Virus

“…The VZV dPK open reading frame consists of 1023 bp and encodes a protein of 341 amino acids (Davison & Scott, 1986). The protein has a predicted Mr of 37 815, which is consistent with the previously reported size of the VZV dPK (Lopetegui et al, 1983;Shiraki et al, 1985). Modified from Kit (1985).…”

“…The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) genome encodes an Mr 35K pyrimidine deoxyribonucleoside kinase (dPK) (Lopetegui et al, 1983 ;Shiraki et al, 1985). The VZV dPK gene has been mapped to the middle of the unique long (UL) segment of the VZV genome (map units 0.50 to 0.52) and shown to encode a 1.8 kb transcript (Sawyer et al, 1986: Davison & Scott, 1986.…”

Investigation of Varicella-Zoster Virus-infected Cell Proteins that Elicit Antibody Production during Primary Varicella Using the Immune Transfer Method

“…Antibodies of all three immunoglobulin subclasses were elicited against these proteins. The 35K VZV infected cell protein has been correlated with VZV-specific thymidine kinase activity by Lopetegui et al (1983). Kallander et al (1982) found antibodies to this enzyme in sera from patients with herpes zoster but not from patients with varicella.…”

Varicella-zoster virus

“…As expected, the VZV gene is able to complement HSV-1 mutants with temperature-sensitive lesions in Vmw175 (Felser et al, 1987(Felser et al, , 1988 and, moreover, may replace the Vmw175 gene in a recombinant HSV-1 genome (Disney & Everett, 1990). In vitro transfection experiments have also implicated gene 4 in trans-activation (Inchauspe et al, 1989 The VZV dPyK has been characterized enzymologically and is thought to consist of a dimer with a subunit Mr of approximately 35000 (Doberson et al, 1976;Hackstadt & Mallavia, 1978;Lopetegui et al, 1983;Shiraki et at., 1985). The dPyK gene (gene 36) was identified on the basis of the homology of its product to HSV-1 thymidine kinase (TK) and was also mapped by biochemical transformation (Sawyer et al, 1986).…”