This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lee, M.
Right arrow Articles by Liu, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lee, M.
Right arrow Articles by Liu, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, December 2000, p. 11099-11107, Vol. 74, No. 23
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Murine Cytomegalovirus Containing a Mutation at Open Reading Frame M37 Is Severely Attenuated in Growth and Virulence In Vivo

Manfred Lee, Jianqiao Xiao, Erik Haghjoo, Xiaoyan Zhan, Gerry Abenes, Tong Tuong, Walter Dunn, and Fenyong Liu*

Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

Received 14 July 2000/Accepted 5 September 2000

A pool of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) mutants was generated by using a Tn3-based transposon mutagenesis procedure. One of the mutants, RvM37, which contained the transposon sequence at open reading frame M37, was characterized both in tissue culture and in immunocompetent BALB/c and immunodeficient SCID mice. Our results provide the first direct evidence to suggest that M37 is not essential for viral replication in vitro in NIH 3T3 cells. Compared to the wild-type strain and a rescued virus that restored the M37 region, the viral mutant was severely attenuated in growth in both BALB/c and SCID mice after intraperitoneal infection. Specifically, titers of the Smith strain and rescued virus in the salivary glands, lungs, spleens, livers, and kidneys of the SCID mice at 21 days postinfection were about 5 × 105, 2 × 105, 5 × 104, 5 × 103, and 1 × 104 PFU/ml of organ homogenate, respectively; in contrast, titers of RvM37 in these organs were less than 102 PFU/ml of organ homogenate. Moreover, the virulence of the mutant virus appeared to be significantly attenuated because none of the SCID mice infected with RvM37 had died by 120 days postinfection, while all animals infected with the wild-type and rescued viruses had died by 26 days postinfection. Our results suggest that M37 probably encodes a virulence factor and is required for MCMV virulence in SCID mice and for optimal viral growth in vivo.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity, School of Public Health, 140 Warren Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720. Phone: (510) 643-2436. Fax: (510) 642-6350. E-mail: liu_fy{at}uclink4.berkeley.edu.

Journal of Virology, December 2000, p. 11099-11107, Vol. 74, No. 23
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Jurak, I., Schumacher, U., Simic, H., Voigt, S., Brune, W. (2008). Murine Cytomegalovirus m38.5 Protein Inhibits Bax-Mediated Cell Death. J. Virol. 82: 4812-4822 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Adair, R., Liebisch, G. W., Su, Y., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2004). Alteration of cellular RNA splicing and polyadenylation machineries during productive human cytomegalovirus infection. J. Gen. Virol. 85: 3541-3553 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mavinakere, M. S., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2004). Internal cleavage of the human cytomegalovirus UL37 immediate-early glycoprotein and divergent trafficking of its proteolytic fragments. J. Gen. Virol. 85: 1989-1994 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mavinakere, M. S., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2004). Dual targeting of the human cytomegalovirus UL37 exon 1 protein during permissive infection. J. Gen. Virol. 85: 323-329 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Su, Y., Adair, R., Davis, C. N., DiFronzo, N. L., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2003). Convergence of RNA cis Elements and Cellular Polyadenylation Factors in the Regulation of Human Cytomegalovirus UL37 Exon 1 Unspliced RNA Production. J. Virol. 77: 12729-12741 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhu, J., Chen, J., Hai, R., Tong, T., Xiao, J., Zhan, X., Lu, S., Liu, F. (2003). In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of a Murine Cytomegalovirus with a Mutation at Open Reading Frame m166. J. Virol. 77: 2882-2891 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Su, Y., Testaverde, J. R., Davis, C. N., Hayajneh, W. A., Adair, R., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2003). Human cytomegalovirus UL37 immediate early target minigene RNAs are accurately spliced and polyadenylated. J. Gen. Virol. 84: 29-39 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hayajneh, W. A., Contopoulos-Ioannidis, D. G., Lesperance, M. M., Venegas, A. M., Colberg-Poley, A. M. (2001). The carboxyl terminus of the human cytomegalovirus UL37 immediate-early glycoprotein is conserved in primary strains and is important for transactivation. J. Gen. Virol. 82: 1569-1579 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»