Identification of a human cytomegalovirus mutant in the pp150 matrix phosphoprotein gene with a growth-defective phenotype.
Following amplification by PCR of a portion of the matrix phosphoprotein pp150 gene, electrophoretic analysis revealed the simultaneous presence of two viral variants of human cytomegalovirus in the blood of a heart transplant recipient. Repeated denaturation-annealing cycles during the amplification reaction led to the formation of heteroduplex molecules with altered electrophoretic mobility. Sequence analysis of the amplification products showed the presence of a viral variant carrying an in-frame three nucleotide deletion, which caused the absence of an aspartic acid in the corresponding protein. Attempts to plaque-purify the deletion mutant were unsuccessful, suggesting that the variant was growth-defective.
Istituto di Genetica Biochimica ed Evoluzionistica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pavia, Italy.
D
D
Zipeto
F
F
Baldanti
E
E
Percivalle
G
G
Gerna
G
G
Milanesi
D001483:Base Sequence; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C056367:pp150 protein, Cytomegalovirus