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Identification of an Epstein‐Barr virus‐coded thymidine kinase.
Author(s) -
Littler E.,
Zeuthen J.,
McBride A.A.,
Trøst Sørensen E.,
Powell K.L.,
WalshArrand J.E.,
Arrand J.R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04450.x
Subject(s) - identification (biology) , biology , library science , classics , history , computer science , botany
We have demonstrated the presence of an Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐coded thymidine kinase (TK) by producing biochemically transformed, TK‐positive mammalian cell lines using either microinjection of whole EBV virions or calcium phosphate‐mediated transfection of the SalI‐B restriction endonuclease fragment of EBV DNA. Analysis of these cell lines showed that: (i) EBV DNA was present in the cell lines, (ii) sequences from the SalI‐B restriction endonuclease fragment of EBV were expressed, (iii) a TK activity was present and (iv) a protein with antigenic cross‐reactivity with the herpes simplex virus (HSV) TK was produced. The identity of the EBV TK gene was determined by demonstrating that a recombinant plasmid, which expressed the protein product of the BXLF1 open reading frame as a fusion protein, could complement TK‐ strains of E. coli. A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences of the TK proteins of EBV and HSV‐1 revealed significant regions of homology.