Incorporation of (E)-5-(2-iodovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine into deoxyribonucleic acids of varicella-zoster virus (TK+ and TK- strains)-infected cells

Abstract

The incorporation of (E)-5-(2-iodovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (IVDU) into DNA of varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-infected human embryo fibroblasts was studied, using thymidine kinase-positive (TK+) and thymidine kinase-negative (TK-) VZV strains. [125I]IVDU was taken up by cells infected with TK+ VZV-, but not by TK- VZV- or mock-infected cells. [125I]IVDU was incorporated into both VZV DNA and cellular DNA of TK+ VZV-infected cells. When the cells were exposed to 0.3 microM IVDU, a more marked shift was noted in the buoyant density of viral DNA than of host DNA. In contrast, the DNAs isolated from TK- VZV- or mock-infected cells did not exhibit a detectable incorporation of [125I]IVDU. [125I] IVDU-labeled VZV DNA was purified from the viral nucleocapsids of TK+ VZV-infected cells. Substitution of no more than 0.1-1% of the thymidine residues in the VZV DNA by IVDU seemed to suffice to inhibit the replication of VZV.