Genome sequences of MHV-68 ?C-ORF69 and MHV-68 ?C-ORF69 P10
This study provides the genome sequences of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) ?C-ORF69 parental virus and a serially passaged variant (Pass 10). The parental genome corresponds to the BAC-derived ?C-ORF69 construct used for virus reconstitution and infection experiments and includes the engineered frameshift mutation in ORF69 as well as the retained BAC cassette. The Pass 10 genome was obtained after ten serial passages in NIH3T3 cells and was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology. Assembly revealed a deletion of approximately 9 kb at the 5' end of the genome encompassing the M1–M4 genes and all eight viral tRNAs. The downstream deletion boundary was confirmed by PCR amplification followed by Sanger sequencing, verifying the presence of ORF4 in the passaged virus.