HUMAN-HERPESVIRUS-7 (HHV-7) DNA - ANALYSES OF CLONES SPANNING THE ENTIRE GENOME

Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) is a lymphotropic virus which replicates i n CD4+ T cells. The majority of DNA sequences of HHV-7, strain RK, wer e cloned, and the termini of the viral DNA inserts were sequenced. The clones were found to contain sequences homologous to HHV-6 DNA with t he average relatedness amounting to 60% in the nucleotide sequence and 53.4% in the corresponding amino acid sequences. Human cytomegaloviru s (HCMV) DNA was also found homologous but to a lower extent, while th e human alpha and gamma herpesviruses were more distinct. Some genes w ere found to be better conserved in all herpesviruses (core genes). Th ese findings define the genetic makeup of HHV-7 DNA.