title: Construction and characterization of a human cytomegalovirus mutant with the UL18 (class I homolog) gene deleted.
abstract: The UL18 open reading frame of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) (which encodes a product homologous to major histocompatibility complex class I heavy chains) has been disrupted by insertion of the beta-galactosidase gene under control of the major HCMV early promoter. The recombinant virus delta UL18 showed no phenotypic differences from wild-type HCMV in terms of single-step growth curves or particle/infectivity ratios, indicating that the UL18 gene product is dispensable for the growth of HCMV in human fibroblasts in vitro. The synthesis of the mature cellular class I heterodimer is shut down in cells infected at a high multiplicity with wild-type HCMV, and a similar effect was seen in delta UL18-infected fibroblasts, suggesting that although the UL18 gene product can associate with beta 2 microglobulin, it is not directly involved in the disruption of class I assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Churcher
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minson
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D005347:Fibroblasts; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins