Biomedical subjects

R R Spaete

Publications and source records attributed to R R Spaete.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1985

Regulation of cytomegalovirus gene expression: alpha and beta promoters are trans activated by viral functions in permissive human fibroblasts.

We have fused immediate (alpha) and delayed (beta) early promoter-regulatory sequences taken from the cytomegalovirus (CMV) genome to Escherichia coli lacZ (beta-galactosidase) as an indicator gene to study regulated expression of these promoters. After transfection of human fibroblast cells with plasmid constructs carrying beta-galactosidase fusions, and subsequent infection with CMV, we have demonstrated that viral trans-acting functions up-regulate the expression of these genes in a temporally authentic manner. The alpha promoter is activated even when de novo protein synthesis is blocked and when UV-inactivated virus is used, suggesting that, as for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a virion structural protein is responsible for its up-regulation. We have found that HSV-1, as well as CMV, is capable of trans activating the CMV alpha promoter. The beta promoter is activated by CMV but is completely unresponsive to HSV-1 infection. The temporal synthesis of the alpha and beta promoters in the transient expression system conforms with their natural regulation during viral replication. The beta-galactosidase fusions we describe provide a most exquisitely sensitive indicator system for the study of cis- and trans-acting viral regulatory functions.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed1982

The herpes simplex virus amplicon: a new eucaryotic defective-virus cloning-amplifying vector.

We have employed repeat units of herpes simplex virus (HSV) defective genomes to derive a cloning-amplifying vector (amplicon) that can replicate in eucaryotic cells in the presence of standard HSV helper virus. The design of the HSV amplicon system is based on the previous observation that cotransfection of cells with helper virus DNA and seed monomeric repeat units of HSV defective genomes results in the regeneration of concatemeric defective genomes composed of multiple reiterations of the seed repeats. Cotransfection of cells with helper virus DNA and chimeric repeat units containing bacterial plasmid pKC7 DNA resulted in the generation of defective genomes composed of reiterations of the seed HSV-pKC7 repeats. These chimeric defective genomes were packaged into virus particles and could be propagated in virus stocks, with the most enriched passages containing more than 90% chimeric defective genomes. Furthermore, monomeric chimeric repeat units could be transferred back and forth between bacteria and eucaryotic cells. A derivative vector constructed so as to contain several unique restriction enzyme sites could be potentially employed in the introduction of additional viral or eucaryotic DNA sequences into eucaryotic cells.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A review of genetic differences between limited and extensively passaged human cytomegalovirus strains.

The complete genetic content of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been difficult to determine, since most strains studied in the laboratory have been extensively passaged in human fibroblast cultures which can change the genetic content as well as the biological properties of the virus. Approximately 13 kb of novel DNA sequences located near the right edge of the unique long (UL) component of the genome has been discovered in Toledo, clinical isolates and certain stocks of Towne. This region of novel sequence, designated the UL/b' region, encodes several interesting proteins including vCXC-1, a potent IL-8 homologue, and UL144, a member of the TNF receptor family. This region is missing from the prototypic laboratory variants of Towne and AD169. In contrast to Toledo and other low passage isolates which have relatively small repeats bracketing the UL component, the Towne and AD169 laboratory variants contain large (>10 kb) b/b' repeats. The large size of these repeats in AD169 and Towne appear to have arisen as compensation for the loss of sequences from the UL/b' region that existed in less passaged variants of these strains. Consequently, many of the haploid genes at the left edge of the prototypic wild-type (wt) UL component are diploid in AD169 and Towne. We hypothesise that this plasticity of the genome at the right edge of the UL component results from extensive passage and adaptation to replication in fibroblasts in vitro. Further work will be required to understand the complete genetic content of wt HCMV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗