IDENTIFICATION OF SIMIAN VARICELLA VIRUS HOMOLOGS OF VARICELLA-ZOSTERVIRUS GENES

Clinical, pathologic, immunologic and virologic features of simian var icella virus (SVV) infection in primates resemble human varicella-zost er virus (VZV) infection. Further, the SVV and VZV genomes are similar in size and structure, show striking homology in their configuration and DNA sequences, and encode antigenically related polypetides. Altho ugh the entire VZV genome is present during latency in human ganglia, transcription is Limited. VZV genes 21, 29, 62 and 63 are transcribed during latency, while genes 4, 10, 40, 51 and 61 are not transcribed. The entire VZV genome has been sequenced, but the SW genome has not. T hus, to analyze SVV genes transcribed during latency, we have begun to identify SW homologues of the above VZV genes. We used nick-translate d [(32)p]-labeled-VZV open reading frame (ORF)-specific probes to scre en Southern blots containing EcoRI-digested SVV genomic DNA and recomb inant clones of SW EcoRI and BamHI DNA fragments spanning similar to 9 7% of the virus genome. We showed that SVV homologues of VZV ORFs 4, 1 0, 29, 40, 51 and 61 mapped to SVV DNA fragments EcoRII, A, N, BamHI E , EcoRI D and E, respectively. We also confirmed earlier reports that SW homologues of VZV genes 21 and 63 mapped to SVV EcoRI DNA fragments H and C, respectively. Viral genes on the SW and VZV genomes seem to be collinear.