ANALYSIS OF THE 2-KILOBASE LATENCY-ASSOCIATED TRANSCRIPT EXPRESSED INPC12 CELLS PRODUCTIVELY INFECTED WITH HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-1 - EVIDENCE FOR A STABLE, NONLINEAR STRUCTURE

The major latency-associated transcript (LAT) expressed in PC12 cells productively infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 is a 2-kb, nonp olyadenylated RNA molecule that accumulates in the nuclei of infected cells. In actinomycin D-treated cells, the 2 kb WT gene transcript has a half-life considerably greater than 12 h. After polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, two species of the transcript were observed, a major species that was retarded in the gel and a minor species that migrated as a 1.96-kb RNA molecule, RNase H digestion after hybridization of t he RNA with an oligonucleotide complementary to positions -80 to -101 relative to the 3' end of the 2-kb LAT gene transcript changed the mob ility of the retarded species into that of the rapidly migrating speci es. Our data indicate that the 2-kb LAT gene transcript expressed in p roductively infected PC12 cells is present in a stable, nonlinear form .