CONFIGURATION AND TERMINAL SEQUENCES OF THE SIMIAN VARICELLA VIRUS GENOME

The simian varicella virus (SVV) genome is a linear DNA molecule consi sting of a unique short (U-S) and a unique long (U-L) region. The U-S is bounded by internal (IR) and terminal inverted repeats and inverts such that virion DNA contains equimolar amounts of two genome isomers. We have sequenced the right and leftward termini and the U-L-IR junct ion region of the SVV genome. A sequence motif common to other herpesv iruses, consisting of A and T residues surrounded by G+C-rich regions, was found near the rightward terminus of the SVV genome. Sequence ana lysis showed no repeats surrounding the U-L region of the genome. Nucl eic acid hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplificati on using primers from the right and leftward ends of the SVV genome in dicated that the U-L region inverts. PCR amplification also showed tha t, compared with virion DNA, SVV genomes with connected termini are in creased in infected cell DNA, suggesting the presence of circular or c oncatemeric genomic molecules. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.