Structure and expression of the woodchuck herpesvirus genome.
This report describes the genome structure and location from which immediate-early transcription originates in the recently characterized woodchuck herpesvirus (herpesvirus marmota: HVM). Cross-hybridization of restriction fragments indicates that the HVM genome contains a tandem array of 1.5-kb repeat units. Additionally, terminal labeling and exonuclease experiments demonstrate that the repeated sequences lie at the termini of the genome. Hybridization of probes representing immediate-early transcription indicates that only a single predominant species of immediate-early RNA originates from a region near one end of unique sequences in the HVM genome. These results show remarkable similarity with group 2 of the gammaherpesvirinae. However, no homology was detected by conventional Southern blot hybridization between HVM and the gamma-2 prototype, herpesvirus saimiri. Therefore, we propose HVM to be a new member of the gammaherpesvirinae subfamily of herpesviruses.
Gilles
P N
PN
Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612.
Ogston
C W
CW
D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008392:Marmota; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral