title: Physical characterization of the herpes simplex virus latency-associated transcript in neurons.
abstract: RNA transfer (Northern) blot analysis was used to perform the physical characterization of the transcript expressed in murine sensory nerve ganglia latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1. Most of this latency-associated transcript (LAT) was isolated in the poly(A)- fraction from ganglia. A smaller RNA species was also detected at less than 10% the abundance of the major one. LAT was not detected with probes from DNA outside the limits of the larger species. In situ hybridization data correlated well with Northern blot analysis; however, low levels of hybridization were seen with probes immediately outside the region of viral DNA giving positive Northern blot signals. S1 nuclease and primer extension mapping were used to locate the 5' end of the LAT 510 bases to the left of a KpnI site at 0.783 map units. The 3' end of the major latency-associated species was mapped to just within a 310-base-pair SmaI fragment located 660 to 970 base pairs to the right of the SalI site at 0.790 map units. These data were correlated with an analysis of the sequence of the DNA encoding this transcript and its possible function in the latent phase of infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine 92717.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devi-Rao
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000382:microbiology; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000382:microbiology*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes