Mapping of the herpes simplex virus DNA sequences in three herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase-transformed cell lines

Abstract

We have made use of a novel filter hybridization approach in order to map the herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA sequences which are present in three HSV thymidine kinase (TK)-transformed cell lines. The cell line 33A+ which was produced by infection of 3T3 TK- cells with UV-irradiated HSV-2 (333) was found to contain one contiguous stretch of viral DNA sequences which maps between 0.15 and 0.57 on the HSV-2 genome. The sequences mapping from 0.31 to 0.37 were present in 3--4-fold higher abundance than the rest of the viral DNA sequences in this cell line. Cell lines 5A and 8N were produced by transfection of mouse CL1D cells with sheared HSV-1 (1023) DNA. The cell line 5A was found to contain a contiguous set of viral DNA sequences mapping between 0.26 and 0.41 on the HSV-1 genome. The cell line 8N was found to contain three non-contiguous sets of viral DNA sequences, mapping between 0.09 and 0.41, 0.53 and 0.58, and 0.94 and 1.0 on the HSV-1 genome. These results seem to indicate that many different sets of viral DNA sequences can be incorporated into the cell during HSV-mediated biochemical transformation.