title: Comparison of DNA sequence and transactivation activity of open reading frame 62 of Oka varicella vaccine and its parental viruses.
abstract: When nucleotide sequences of Oka vaccine and its parental viruses of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were compared in 5 open reading frames (ORFs) including glycoprotein C (gC) and 4 immediate-early genes, mutations were detected only in gene 62 which is one of the immediate-early genes. Compared with its parental virus, the vaccine virus contained 15 nucleotide substitutions. With the differentiation method using the simplified restriction-enzyme fragment length polymorphism analysis by Nae I and Bss HII, which was established based on the sequence analysis data in this study, the Oka vaccine virus could be distinguished from its parental virus. Studies of the regulatory activities of the ORF62 gene product (IE62) in a transient assay indicate the IE62 of the parental virus had a stronger transactivational activity than that of the vaccine virus against immediate-early, early and late gene promoters. These data suggest that gene 62 might have an important role for attenuation of VZV. This is the first report in which many substitutions of nucleotides in gene 62 of Oka vaccine virus was found, compared with that of Oka parental virus.
authors.affiliation: Kanonji Institute, The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University, Kagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gomi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imagawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanishi
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000821:virology; D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019433:Chickenpox Vaccine; D004279:DNA, Viral; C074221:IE62 protein, Human herpesvirus 3; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; C085824:ORF4 protein, Human herpesvirus 3; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C074551:immediate early protein 63, Human herpesvirus 3; C073411:protein 61, Varicella-zoster virus