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Abolition of the R_L neurovirulence phenotype of herpes simplex virus type 2 strain HG52 does not require deletion of the DR₁ element of the ‘a’ sequence

MRC Virology Unit, Institute of Virology, Church Street, Glasgow G11 5JR, U.K.

We have characterized a spontaneous variant of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) strain HG52, 2616, which has 786 bp of both copies of R_L deleted, but which retains 782 bp upstream of the 5' end of immediate early gene 1 and 463 bp downstream of the ‘a’ sequence. Variant 2616 is avirulent following intracerebral inoculation of BALB/c mice, thus showing in vivo characteristics similar to those of variant 2604, described previously (a 1488 bp deletion incorporating the DR₁ element of the ‘a’ sequence), but not to those of variant 2701, which has an intermediate neurovirulence phenotype. The deletions in variants 2616 and 2604 remove the conserved HSV-1 and -2 R_L open reading frame entirely and extend downstream from it, whereas the deletion in variant 2701 removes only the 5' part. The data show that deletion of part of the ‘a’ sequence is not required for the production of the R_L avirulence phenotype in HSV-2 strain HG52.

Received 14 May 1991; accepted 17 July 1991.