Biochemical transformation of deoxythymidine kinase-deficient mouse cells with UV-irradiated equine herpesvirus type 1

Evolution of the herpes thymidine kinase: identification and comparison of the equine herpesvirus 1 thymidine kinase gene reveals similarity to a cell-encoded thymidylate kinase

We have identified the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) thymidine kinase gene (TK) by DNA-mediated transformation and by DNA sequencing. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of the EHV-1 TK with the TKs from 3 other herpesviruses revealed regions of homology, some of which correspond to the previously identified substrate binding sites, while others have as yet, no assigned function. In particular, the strict conservation of an aspartate within the proposed nucleoside binding site suggests a role in ATP binding for this residue. Comparison of 5 herpes TKs with the thymidylate kinase of yeast revealed significant similarity which was strongest in those regions important to catalytic activity of the herpes TKs, and, therefore we propose that the herpes TK may be derived from a cellular thymidylate kinase. The implications for the evolution of enzyme activities within a pathway of nucleotide metabolism are discussed.

Oncogenic transformation of primary hamster embryo cells by equine herpesvirus type 3

Infection of nonpermissive primary hamster embryo cells with equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3; multiplicity of infection = 10 pfu/cell) resulted in an abortive infection and the development of several hundred foci of rapidly growing cells. Five of these foci were chosen at random for the establishment of transformed cell lines, designated EVD-1 (equine venereal disease) through 5. These transformed cell lines exhibited altered biological properties typical of transformed cells, including immortality, growth to high saturation density, colony formation in soft agar, reduced serum requirements, aneuploid karyotype, and oncogenicity in syngeneic animals. Subsequently, five corresponding tumor cell lines (EVD-1T through 5T) with similar biological properties were established. All EHV-3 transformed and tumor cell lines have been shown to express EHV-3-specific proteins by indirect immunofluorescence assays employing rabbit antisera to EHV-3 infected equine cells. None of the transformed cell lines were found to release infectious virus by infectious center or cocultivation assay or to contain viral particles by electron microscopy.

Structure of the genome of equine herpesvirus type 3

Restriction endonuclease mapping studies were performed to determine the molecular structure of the genome of equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3). Purified EHV-3 DNA, either unlabeled or 32P-labeled, was analyzed using the restriction enzymes BamHI, BclI, BglII, EcoRI, and HindIII. The findings that four 0.5 M (molar) fragments were present, that two of these were terminal fragments, and that all 0.5 M fragments contained homologous DNA sequences as judged by DNA hybridization analyses indicated that DNA sequences located at one terminus are repeated within the molecule and that two populations of molecules exist with regard to the arrangement of this pair of shared sequences. Mapping of BamHI, BclI, BglII, EcoRI, and HindIII fragments by double digestion of intact EHV-3 DNA, reciprocal digestion of isolated restriction enzyme fragments, and blot hybridization experiments revealed that the EHV-3 genome is a linear, double-stranded DNA molecule with a molecular size of 96.2 +/- 0.48 MDa and is comprised of two covalently linked segments, designated L (long) and S (short). The S region is approximately 22.9 MDa in size and consists of a unique segment (Us) of approximately 5.8 MDa bracketed by 8.5 MDa inverted repeat sequences that allow the S region to invert relative to the fixed L region which is approximately 73.3 MDa in size and consists only of unique sequences. Thus, these data confirm that EHV-3 DNA exists in two isomeric forms and has a molecular structure similar to that of the genomes of EHV-1 (B. E. Henry, S. A. Robinson, S. A. Dauenhauer, S. S. Atherton, G. S. Hayward, and D. J. O'Callaghan, Virology 115, 97-114, 1981; D. J. O'Callaghan, G. A. Gentry, and C. C. Randall, "The Herpesvirus," Vol. 2, pp. 215-318, Plenum, New York, 1983; D. J. O'Callaghan, B. E. Henry, J. H. Wharton, S. A. Dauenhauer, R. B. Vance, J. Staczek, and R. A. Robinson, "Developments in Molecular Virology," Vol. 1, pp. 387-418, Nijhoff, The Hague, 1981; W. T. Ruyechan, S. A. Dauenhauer, and D. J. O'Callaghan, J. Virol., 42, 297-300, 1982), pseudorabies virus (W. Stevely, J. Virol., 22, 232-234, 1977; T. Ben-Porat, F. J. Rixon, and M. L. Blankenship, Virology, 95, 285-294, 1979), varicella-zoster virus (A. M. Dumas, J. L. Geelen, M. W. Weststrate, P. Wertheim, and J. Van Der Noordaa, J. Virol., 39, 390-400, 1981; S. E. Straus, H. S. Aulakh, W. T. Ruyechan, J. Hay, T. A. Casey, G. F. Vande Woude, J. Owens, and H. A. Smith, J. Virol., 40, 516-525, 1981.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Thymidine kinase (TK) induction after infection of TK-deficient rabbit cell mutants with bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1): isolation of TK- BHV-1 mutants

Cytosol thymidine kinase (TK) activity is enhanced at 6 hr after bovine embryo tracheal (EBTr) and rabbit skin fibroblast (RAB-9) cells are infected with the Los Angeles and Cooper strains of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1). To learn whether this enhancement resulted from the induction of a virus-specific TK activity, biochemical and genetic studies were carried out. The biochemical experiments demonstrated that: (i) the BHV-1-induced TK activity had a relative disc PAGE mobility (Rm) characteristic of other herpesvirus-encoded TKs and distinctly different from the Rm value of the cytosol TK of host cells; and (ii) the BHV-1-induced TK was significantly more sensitive to competitive inhibition by arabinosylthymine (araT) than the cytosol TKs of EBTr and RAB-9 cells. The genetic experiments entailed the isolation of a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd)-resistant rabbit cell line [RAB(BU)] deficient in cytosol TK activity and of BrdUrd- and araT-resistant BHV-1 mutants. RAB(BU) cells acquired TK activity after they were infected by wild-type, TK+ BHV-1, but not drug-resistant BHV-1 mutants. The experiments strongly suggest that wild-type BHV-1 induces a virus-specific TK activity.

Electron microscopic study of equine herpesvirus type 1 DNA

Electron microscopic studies of equine herpesvirus DNA revealed that single strands that were allowed to reanneal formed single-stranded loops with double-stranded stems only at one end of the molecule. These observations support restriction enzyme analyses which indicate that the 92-megadalton DNA molecule exists as a long region of unique sequences covalently linked to a short region. The short region is comprised of an internal unique sequence, which forms the loop during reannealing of single strands, and two terminal inverted repeat sequences that bracket the unique sequence and form the double-stranded stem structure observed upon reannealing of single strands. Measurements of the unique sequence and terminal inverted repeat subgenomic sequences indicate a size of 6.4 megadaltons for each and thus fix the size of the short region at approximately 19.2 megadaltons.

The site of integration of the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene in human cells transformed by an HSV-1 DNA fragment

To analyze the site of integration of the herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I) thymidine kinase (TK) gene in biochemically transformed human cells, TK-HeLa-(BU25) cells were transformed to the TK+ phenotype by a cloned, 2 kbp Pvull fragment of HSV-I DNA. The transformed cells [HeLa(BU25)/TF pAGO PP3] were fused with mouse LM(TK-) cells, and human-mouse somatic cell hybrid clones (LH PP3 clones 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6) were isolated in HATG-ouabain selective medium. The HeLa(BU25)/TF pAGO PP3 cells and the LH PP3 hybrid clones expressed HSV-I specific TK activity and a herpesvirus-associated nuclear antigen, and contained herpesvirus nucleotide sequences. Molecular hybridization experiments were carried out to map the HSV-I and flanking cellular nucleotide sequences in the biochemically transformed cells. These experiments demonstrated that the HSV-I nucleotide sequences were integrated at a single site, and that the same cellular nucleotide sequences flanked the viral DNA in transformed HeLa(BU25)/TF pAGO PP3 and LH PP3 clone 5 cells. TK- revertant subclones isolated by growing the LH PP3 clone 5 cells in BrdUrd (and diphtheria toxin) failed to form colonies in HATG medium, but retained HSV-I nucleotide sequences. Isozyme analyses on 21 gene-enzyme systems representing 21 human chromosomes revealed that all of the LH PP3 clonal lines expressed human hexosaminidase B, which has been assigned to chromosome 5, and all were sensitive to diphtheria toxin, which is also a marker for chromosome 5. Chromosome analyses showed that chromosome 5 was the nly human chromosome present in mitoses of LH PP3 clone 5 cells and that human chromosome 5 was present in most of the mitoses of LH PP3 clone 1, 2, 3, and 6 cells. The latter clones also contained 1 or 2 additional human chromosomes in some of the cells. As expected from the molecular hybridization analyses, TK- revertants of LH PP3 clone 5 cells retained portions of chromosome 5 and expressed human hexosaminidase B. The results indicate that HSV-I nucleotide sequences were stably integrated in the biochemically transformed cells, most likely in human chromosome 5.

Purification and biochemical characterization of deoxythymidine kinase of deoxythymidine kinase-deficient mouse 3T3 cells biochemically transformed by equine herpesvirus type 1

A line of mouse 3T3 cells lacking deoxythymidine kinase (dTK-) was stably transformed to see dTK+ phenotype after exposure to ultraviolet-irradiated equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). Deoxythymidine kinase (dTK) was purified from the biochemically transformed mouse cells by affinity chromatography on deoxythymidine-Sepharose. The purified dTK from EHV-1-transformed 3T3 cells was identical to the dTK purified from dTK- 3T3 cells lytically infected with EHV-1 with respect to its electrophoretic mobility, molecular weight, substrate specificity, phosphate donor specificity, and immunological specificity. The sedimentation velocity of the purified dTK from the transformed 3T3 cells was similar to that previously reported for the enzyme in lytically infected dTK- 3T3 cells, and its molecular weight was estimated to be 87,000. Antiserum prepared against the EHV-1 dTK induced in horse cells inactivated the dTK purified from the transformed mouse cells. The Km for deoxythymidine (5 micrometers) of purified dTK from the EHV-1-transformed cells was the same as that reported for the EHV-1-induced dTK. These results further support the notion that the dTK acquired by dTK- mouse 3T3 cells after transformation by EHV-1 is of viral and not of cellular origin.

Biological properties of equine herpesvirus type 1 DNA: transfectivity and transforming capacity

DNA extracted from purified virions of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was examined for its transfectivity and transforming ability. The infectivity of the herpesvirus DNA was demonstrated by addition of calcium phosphate-DNA coprecipitates to monolayers of permissive horse cells, with resultant plaque formation. The efficiency of transfection (50 to 100 plaque-forming units/microgram of DNA) was reduced by treatment of the viral DNA with deoxyribonuclease or sonication but not with Pronase or antivirus neutralizing serum. When nonpermissive mouse 3T3 Cells lacking the enzyme thymidine kinase (TK-) were transfected with intact EHV-1 DNA, clones of cells transformed to the TK+ phenotype were isolated in selective HAT medium (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine), which prevents growth of the TK- parental phenotype. The efficiency of transformation ranged from one to five transformants per microgram of EHV-1 DNA. The TK activity of the biochemically transformed cells was characterized by biochemical, electrophoretic, and immunological techniques. By these criteria, the TK activity was identical to the EHV-1 TK and different from the host wild-type enzyme. In contrast to the parental TK+ 3T3 cells, the EHV-1-transformed TK+ cells were unable to grow in the presence of arabinosylthymine, a drug selectively phosphorylated by herpesvirus TKs. These results indicate that stable transfer of EHV-1 genes into nonpermissive cells can be achieved with purified viral DNA.