Abstract
During the course of infection, elements of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genome undergo inversion, a process that is believed to occur through the viral a sequences. To investigate the mechanism of this recombinational event, we have developed an assay that detects the deletion of DNA segments flanked by directly repeated a sequences in plasmids transiently maintained in Vero cells. With this assay, we have observed a high frequency of recombination (approximately 8%) in plasmids that undergo replication in HSV-1-infected cells. We also found a low level of recombination between a sequences in plasmids introduced into uninfected cells and in unreplicated plasmids in HSV-1-infected cells. In replicating plasmids, recombination between a sequences occurs at twice the frequency seen with directly repeated copies of a different sequence of similar size. Recombination between a sequences appears to occur at approximately the same time as replication, suggesting that the processes of replication and recombination are closely linked.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 277-285 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Virology |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jan 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Insect Science
- Virology