Early diffuse chromosome alterations in monkey kidney cells infected in vitro with herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus type 2 mutagenesis: characterization of mutants induced at the hprt locus of nonpermissive XC cells

In a previous report, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was shown to increase the frequency of mutation at the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus of nonpermissive rat XC cells (L. Pilon, A. Royal, and Y. Langelier, J. Gen. Virol. 66:259-265, 1985). A series of 17 independent mutants were isolated after viral infection together with 12 spontaneous noninfected mutants to characterize the nature of the mutations induced by the virus at the molecular level. The DNA of the mutants isolated after viral infection was probed with cloned HSV-2 fragments representing the entire genome. In these mutants, no authentic HSV-2 hybridization could be detected. This was indicative of a mechanism of mutagenesis which did not require the permanent integration of viral sequences in the host genome. The structure of the hprt gene was determined by the method of Southern (J. Mol. Biol. 98:503-517, 1975), and the level of hprt mRNA was analyzed by Northern blots. Except for the identification of one deletion mutant in each of the two groups, the HPRT- clones showed no evidence of alteration in their hprt gene. A total of 7 of 12 spontaneous mutants and 11 of 15 mutants isolated from the infected population transcribed an hprt mRNA of the same size and abundance as did the wild-type cells. Thus, the majority of the mutants seemed to have a point mutation in their hprt structural gene. Interestingly, the proportion of the different types of mutations was similar in the two groups of mutants. This analysis revealed that HSV-2 infection did not increase the frequency of rearrangements but rather that it probably induced a general increase of the level of mutations in the cells. This type of response is thought to be compatible with the biology of the virus, and the possible mechanisms by which HSV-2 induces somatic mutations in mammalian cells are discussed.

Herpes simplex virus gene products involved in the induction of chromosomal aberrations

The effect of short-term herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection on chromosomes of human diploid fibroblasts was examined. In addition to chromosomal breaks, gaps and pulverization, three kinds of cytogenetic damage (double minutes, polyploidy and endoreduplication) not yet reported following productive infection with HSV or other animal viruses were frequently observed. Consistent with previous studies suggesting that the expression of immediate-early and/or early viral gene products is required for the induction of chromosomal damage, was the observation that cells infected at the nonpermissive temperature with HSV-1 temperature-sensitive mutants defective in the gene for the immediate-early transcriptional regulatory protein, ICP4, and three early viral gene products--DNA polymerase (pol), the major HSV DNA-binding protein (ICP8) and an HSV-2 mutant defective in alkaline nuclease--exhibited altered patterns of chromosomal damage relative to the effects of wild-type virus on infected cells. These findings suggest a direct or indirect role for all four gene products in the induction of chromosomal damage. In cells infected with wild-type virus for 4 h or longer, HSV proved to be a more potent mitotic arresting agent than colcemid. Moreover, studies with selected mutants indicate that HSV pol specifically may be involved in mitotic arrest. Additionally, in cells infected at the non-permissive temperature with a pol mutant, the number of polyploid metaphases was reduced 4-fold relative to that seen in wild-type virus-infected cells suggesting a role for HSV pol in the amplification of cellular DNA.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 mutagenesis: characterization of mutants induced at the hprt locus of nonpermissive XC cells

In a previous report, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was shown to increase the frequency of mutation at the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus of nonpermissive rat XC cells (L. Pilon, A. Royal, and Y. Langelier, J. Gen. Virol. 66:259-265, 1985). A series of 17 independent mutants were isolated after viral infection together with 12 spontaneous noninfected mutants to characterize the nature of the mutations induced by the virus at the molecular level. The DNA of the mutants isolated after viral infection was probed with cloned HSV-2 fragments representing the entire genome. In these mutants, no authentic HSV-2 hybridization could be detected. This was indicative of a mechanism of mutagenesis which did not require the permanent integration of viral sequences in the host genome. The structure of the hprt gene was determined by the method of Southern (J. Mol. Biol. 98:503-517, 1975), and the level of hprt mRNA was analyzed by Northern blots. Except for the identification of one deletion mutant in each of the two groups, the HPRT- clones showed no evidence of alteration in their hprt gene. A total of 7 of 12 spontaneous mutants and 11 of 15 mutants isolated from the infected population transcribed an hprt mRNA of the same size and abundance as did the wild-type cells. Thus, the majority of the mutants seemed to have a point mutation in their hprt structural gene. Interestingly, the proportion of the different types of mutations was similar in the two groups of mutants. This analysis revealed that HSV-2 infection did not increase the frequency of rearrangements but rather that it probably induced a general increase of the level of mutations in the cells. This type of response is thought to be compatible with the biology of the virus, and the possible mechanisms by which HSV-2 induces somatic mutations in mammalian cells are discussed.

Chromosomal breaks and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in patients with herpetic stomatitis

Chromosomal breakage and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) were studied in peripheral lymphocytes of 9 patients with primary herpetic stomatitis (PHS), 12 patients with secondary herpetic stomatitis (SHS) and 12 controls. The incidence of chromosomal breakage was significantly higher in PHS patients (mean 23%, P. = 0.0002) and in SHS patients (mean 20.25%, P. = 0.0003) compared to the controls (mean 4.2%). The incidence of SCE per 46 chromosomes was significantly higher in SHS patients (mean 16.564) compared with (P. less than 0.001) the controls (mean 11.367) and compared with (P. = 0.006) the PHS patients (mean 12.131). It is concluded that both PHS and SHS patients exhibit structural chromosomal damage; SHS patients in addition exhibit more repaired chromosomal lesions.

Further observations on inclusion-bearing cells in urinary sediment in infectious diseases

A study of the cytology of the urinary sediment in 43 patients with known viral diseases has revealed a variety of inclusion-bearing cells in 28.The morphology of the cells suggest that the changes recorded may be due to the viral infections, at least in some instances, bearing in mind the findings of workers quoted in our 1964 report that cellular changes very similar to those induced by virus infections can be initiated by non-viral stimuli. Multinucleate giant cells are occasionally found in chickenpox, measles, herpes simplex infection, and in mumps.