Inverted repeat nucleotide sequences in the genomes of Marek disease virus and the herpesvirus of the turkey.

The DNAs of two herpesvirus, the oncogenic Marek disease virus and the serologically related herpesvirus of the turkey, were studied by electron microscopy. On the basis of fold-back molecules observed in single-stranded DNA from both viruses, structures have been derived from the overall nucleotide sequence arrangement in their genomes. Although differing in molecular weight, the genomes of Marek disease virus and turkey herpesvirus are both constructed according to the same plan--two regions of unique nucleotide sequence, each enclosed by inverted repeat sequence. The genome structure of these viruses therefore closely resembles that of herpes simplex virus rather than the biologically more similar herpesvirus Epstein--Barr virus, H. saimiri, and H. ateles

Episomal and nonepisomal herpesvirus DNA in lymphoid tumor cell lines

Tumor cell lines derived from Herpesvirus saimiri (H. saimiri)- and Herpesvirus ateles (H. ateles)-induced lymphomas of New World primates and rabbits contain multiple copies of viral genomes. Partial denaturation mapping and blot hybridizations of episomal DNA from lymphoid tumor cell line No. 1670 showed that a 12.5md-fragment is missing which represents the EcoRI D- and H-fragments of virion L-DNA. However, the missing piece can be demonstrated in total cellular DNA by reassociation kinetics, possibly because it persists in integrated form. Both episomal and nonepisomal H-DNA are heavily methylated in a number of the lymphoid cell lines, and methylation may be reduced by conventional methylation inhibitors (S-adenosyl homocystein, SIBA) as well as by the tumor promoting phorbol ester TPA