Synergistic enhancement of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir-mediated cytoxicity by hydroxyurea.

Hydroxyurea induces bystander cytotoxicity in cocultures of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase-expressing and nonexpressing HeLa cells incubated with ganciclovir.

Suicide gene therapy with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) cDNA and ganciclovir can elicit cytotoxicity to transgene-expressing and nonexpressing bystander cells via transfer of ganciclovir phosphates through gap junctions. HeLa cells do not exhibit bystander cytotoxicity, although we showed recently that they transfer low levels of ganciclovir phosphates to bystander cells. H...

Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Thymidine Kinase Gene in Four Iranian Isolates of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

PCR detection of thymidine kinase gen of latent herpes simplex Virus type 1 in mice trigeminal ganglia

  Herpes simplex virus type 1 establishes a latent infection in the peripheral nervous system following primary infection. During latent infection, virus genome exhibit limited transcription, with the HSV LATs consistently detected in latency infected ganaglia. Following ocular infection viral latency develops in the trigeminal ganglia. In this study PCR has been used for detection of HSV-1 nuc...

Hydroxyurea potentiates the antiherpesvirus activities of purine and pyrimidine nucleoside and nucleoside phosphonate analogs.

Hydroxyurea has been shown to potentiate the anti-human immunodeficiency virus activities of 2',3'-dideoxynucleoside analogs such as didanosine. We have now evaluated in vitro the effect of hydroxyurea on the antiherpesvirus activities of several nucleoside analogs (acyclovir [ACV], ganciclovir [GCV], penciclovir [PCV], lobucavir [LBV], (R)-9-[4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine [H2G], and...

The herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene as a conditional negative-selection marker gene in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The human herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase type 1 gene (HSVtk) acts as a conditional lethal marker in mammalian cells. The HSVtk-encoded enzyme is able to phosphorylate certain nucleoside analogs (e.g. ganciclovir, an antiherpetic drug), thus converting them to toxic DNA replication inhibitors. The utility of HSVtk as a conditional negative-selection marker was explored in Arabidopsis thal...