Pathogenicity in mice of herpes simplex virus type 2 mutants unable to express glycoprotein C.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) mutants that were unable to express glycoprotein C (gC-2) were isolated. Deletions were made in a cloned copy of the gC-2 gene, and recombinant viruses containing these deletions were screened by using an immunoreactive plaque selection protocol. The viruses did not display a syncytial phenotype. Intravaginal inoculation of BALB/cJ mice with one of the HSV-2 gC-2- viruses produced local inflammation followed by a lethal spread of the viral infection into the nervous system in a manner identical to that produced by parental HSV-2 strain 333. Similarly, intracerebral inoculation of DBA-2 mice with the gC-2- virus produced a lethal neurological disease paralleling that caused by HSV-2 strain 333. These results indicate that gC-2 is not required for the spread of HSV-2 infections in mice.
D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014162:Transfection; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C048232:glycoprotein C, herpes simplex virus type 2; C038535:glycoprotein gC, herpes simplex virus type 1