Mouse L cells lacking thymidine kinase (Ltk-) that had been transformed to the thymidine kinase-positive (tk+) phenotype by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were cultured in medium containing tritiated thymidine. Six clonal lines of cells surviving this treatment were found to have the following properties: (i) the cells were tk- and had spontaneous back-reversion frequencies to the tk+ phen...

Vertihemipterin A, the ascochlorin glycoside, and its aglycone, 4',5'-dihydro-4'-hydroxyascochlorin, were isolated from the insect pathogenic fungus Verticillium hemipterigenum BCC 2370. A new analog, 8'-hydroxyascochlorin, and five known compounds, ascochlorin, LL-Z1272delta, 8',9'-dehydroascochlorin, ascofuranone and ascofuranol, were also isolated from the same fermentation broth. Structures...

We compare a rapid dilution method for the determination of antiviral susceptibility of herpes simplex virus (HSV) with the plaque reduction assay. A total of 84 HSV clinical isolates were studied by both methods to detect in-vitro resistance to acyclovir and foscarnet. The rapid method showed for the detection of HSV isolates resistant to acyclovir and foscarnet, a sensitivity of 96. 8% and 10...

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encodes two helicases both of which are essential for viral DNA synthesis. UL9 binds specifically to the origins of replication and is believed to initiate DNA replication at one of three origins of replication located in the HSV-1 genome. The heterotrimeric helicase-primase complex, encoded by the UL5, UL8 and UL52 genes, is believed to unwind duplex viral D...

South Africa is suffering the most severe HIV epidemic on earth. Prior to emergence of HIV/AIDS, conventional sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were endemic in many underprivileged communities as a result of many social factors. Since conventional STIs may act as co-factors in both acquisition and transmission of HIV, it was initially thought that improved treatment of these infections wou...

We have investigated whether herpes simplex virus (HSV) contains structural polypeptides which are modified by myristic acid. We demonstrate that herpes simplex virions contain a family of myristylated proteins, Mr approximately 13,000 to 16,000. These were mapped, using HSV-1/HSV-2 intertypic recombinants, to 0.130 to 0.204 map units on the virus genome. Using anti-peptide sera, raised against...

The study of protein-protein interactions in the nervous system has become dependent on the ability to express foreign proteins (or to overexpress endogenous proteins) within neurons. Often, multiple genes need to be overexpressed in the same cell. To investigate the simultaneous co-expression of more than one virally introduced gene in primary cortical neurons, we infected cultures with two di...

Infectious DNA from adeno-associated satellite virus (ASV) has been isolated from cells coinfected with a temperature-sensitive mutant of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 in the absence of contaminating HSV DNA. This satellite virus DNA does not appear to differ in its physical, chemical and biological properties from DNA isolated directly from virions or from cells co-infected with adenovirus...

In terms of molecular symmetry and bioactivity, new C3- and CS-symmetrical derivatives based on the tris(2-aminoethyl)amine scaffold were designed and synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for antiviral activity with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) by a plaque reduction assay and for cytotoxic activity with Vero cells. Most of the compounds showed no significant anti-HSV-1 a...