Identification and DNA sequence analysis of the Marek's disease virus serotype 2 genes homologous to the thymidine kinase and UL24 genes of herpes simplex virus type 1

• Published in: Virus genes Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 81 - 87
• Main Authors: Shimojima, Y. (Tokyo Univ., Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture, Dept. of Veterinary Microbiology), Jang, H.K, Ono, M, Maeda, K, Tohya, Y, Mikami, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 1997
• Subjects: ADN; Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; Base Sequence; Chromosome Mapping; DNA; DNA Primers - genetics; DNA, Viral - genetics; ENFERMEDAD DE MAREK; genes; Genes, Viral; herpes simplex virus 1; Herpesvirus 1, Human - enzymology; Herpesvirus 1, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 2, Gallid - classification; Herpesvirus 2, Gallid - genetics; HERPETOVIRIDAE; Human alphaherpesvirus 1; loci; MALADIE DE MAREK; MAREK'S DISEASE; Molecular Sequence Data; Northern blotting; NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE; nucleotide sequences; nucleotides; Open Reading Frames; polypeptides; SECUENCIA NUCLEOTIDICA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; SEQUENCE NUCLEOTIDIQUE; SEROTIPOS; SEROTYPE; SEROTYPES; Serotyping; THYMIDINE; thymidine kinase; Thymidine Kinase - genetics; TIMIDINA; Viral Proteins - genetics; viruses
• ISSN: 0920-8569; 1572-994X
• DOI: 10.1023/a:1007943624997

The thymidine kinase (TK) gene has been used as a safe and convenient locus for expression of heterologous proteins in some alphaherpesviruses including herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) antigenically related to Marek's disease virus (MDV) serotypes 1 (MDV1) and 2 (MDV2). In MDV2 strain HPRS 24 genome, genes equivalent to the TK and UL24 homologues of herpes simplex virus type 1 were identified and sequenced. The MDV2 UL24 gene overlaps the 5' end of the TK gene in a head-to-head orientation. The predicted region encoding for the MDV2 TK gene is 1,056 nucleotides, corresponding to a polypeptide of 352 amino acids in length. Putative nucleotide- and thymidine-binding sites were identified within the predicted amino acid sequence. The predicted region encoding for the UL24 gene is 948 nucleotides, corresponding to a polypeptide of 316 amino acids in length. By northern blot analyses using MDV2 TK- and UL24-specific DNA probes, four transcripts of approximately 7.8, 5.0, 3.5, and 1.1 kb for the TK gene, and a transcript of 3.8 kb for the UL24 gene were detected in MDV2-infected cells. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of MDV2 TK homologue with those published for TK homologues of other MDV serotypes showed 73.9% (MDV1 vs. MDV2), 58.2% (MDV1 vs. HVT), and 56.8% (MDV2 vs. HVT) identities. Comparison to other alphaherpesvirus TK homologues revealed amino acid sequence homologies varying from 34.5% to 27.8%. The putative MDV2 UL24 homologous protein had identity with the well conserved five motifs among alphaherpesviruses.