title: Putative glycoprotein gene of varicella-zoster virus with variable copy numbers of a 42-base-pair repeat sequence has homology to herpes simplex virus glycoprotein C.
abstract: A strain variation of varicella-zoster virus that maps to the UL region of the genome was found to be due to different copy numbers of a high GC 42-base-pair repeat. DNA sequence analysis of this variable region showed the sequence to be 5-GCGGGATCGGGCTTTCGGG(A/T)AGCGGCCGAGGTGGGCGCGACG-3. Strains Scott and Webster both contain 7 and 32/42 copies of the repeat, whereas strain Oka has exactly 4 copies less. Microheterogeneity exists within the repeated sequences, depending on the strain and the repeat number. Sequencing of the entire EcoRI P fragment (which contains the repeated sequences) and part of the adjacent EcoRI M and EcoRI Q fragments from strain Scott showed that the repeats are part of a large open reading frame that could code for a polypeptide core with a molecular weight of 66,000. Several potential TATA boxes exist upstream and two polyadenylation signals are found downstream of the open reading frame. The predicted protein bears several characteristics of a glycoprotein. The region is transcriptionally active in varicella-zoster virus-infected cells, specifying at least three RNA species of 1.7, 1.95, and 2.5 kilobases, which are transcribed from the same DNA strand. Part of the predicted protein has a high degree of homology to the herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein gC.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C038535:glycoprotein gC, herpes simplex virus type 1; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI