The effect of 5'-amino-5'-deoxythymidine on the pattern of polyadenylation of herpes simplex virus type 1 ribonucleic acid

• Published in: Virus research Vol. 9; no. 2-3; p. 221
• Main Authors: Zucker, M L, Dube, S, Prusoff, W H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01.02.1988
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Cytoplasm - metabolism; Dideoxynucleosides; Poly A - metabolism; RNA - metabolism; RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional - drug effects; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Viral - metabolism; Simplexvirus - drug effects; Simplexvirus - metabolism; Thymidine - analogs & derivatives; Thymidine - pharmacology; Vero Cells
• ISSN: 0168-1702
• DOI: 10.1016/0168-1702(88)90032-9

Treatment of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infected Vero cells with 5'-amino-5'-deoxythymidine (AdThd) causes a 65% reduction in the amount of total viral RNA present at late times of infection. This decrease is apparent as early as 6 hours post infection, affecting the levels of viral cytoplasmic polyadenylated (poly(A+] species to a greater extent than non-polyadenylated (poly(A-] RNA. Cytoplasmic viral poly(A+) RNA is present in AdThd-treated cultures at only 10% control poly(A+) levels, yet there is no evidence of a direct inhibition of RNA polyadenylation. Underrepresentation of RNA species in the cytoplasm is not sequence-specific. The results suggest that the antiviral activity of AdThd may involve not only incorporation into viral DNA, with a resultant decrease in viral transcription, but also perturbation of the relative amounts of viral poly(A+) RNA and poly(A-) RNA.