title: Restriction endonuclease analysis of the DNA from varicella-zoster virus: stability of the DNA after passage in vitro.
abstract: DNA was extracted from nucleocapsids isolated from WI-38 cells infected with two different strains of varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The DNAs were treated with each of six restriction endonucleases (EcoRI, HindIII, Bg/I, Bg/II, Sal I and Bam-HI) and small, but reproducible differences in restriction endonuclease patterns were observed. These strains were passaged in WI-38 cells and in primary guinea-pig embryo (GPE) cells, followed by restriction endonuclease analysis of the DNAs. No changes were observed in the restriction prpofile of the DNA of one of the strains (VZV-KMcC) after 46 passages in WI-38 cells but small differences were observed after 72 passages. No changes were observed after 30 passages of another strain (VZV-AW) in WI-38 cells. Twenty passages of VZB-KMcC in GPE cells did result in minor alterations of its DNA. It was concluded that VZV DNA was sufficiently stable after multiple passages in WI-38 cells to make restriction endonuclease analysis a valuable epidemiological tool for strain differentiation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology; D014776:Virus Cultivation
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes