MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF VARICELLA-ZOSTER VIRUS INFECTIONS

该项目是两个主要的实验室研究重点之一。 这一部分。目标是识别、定位和表征VZV基因 和在活动和潜伏感染期间表达的蛋白质，并定义 基因表达的时间顺序和控制。到目前为止，我们绘制了 病毒基因组，它的转录本和一些重要的基因。我们 证实VZV潜伏在人神经节卫星细胞中 72个VZV基因中有4~11个在潜伏期表达。为了更好地 检测和表征潜伏期记录，我们目前正在提取 来自人类神经节的RNA，用逆转录酶处理，以及 利用合成橄榄进行聚合酶链式反应(PCR) 代表靶向VZV开放阅读框的核苷酸。在其他 在研究中，我们正在定义开放阅读框架的角色和组成部分 负责VZV基因调控。具体地说，通过创造突变 在基因4和61中，我们确定了负责基因的蛋白质结构域。 激活和抑制。

This project constitutes one of the two major laboratory research focuses of this section. The goals are to identify, map and characterize VZV genes and proteins expressed during active and latent infections, and to define the temporal sequence and control of gene expression. To date, we mapped the viral genome, its transcripts, and a number of important genes. We proved that VZV remains latent in satellite cells of human nerve ganglia and that 4 to 11 of 72 VZV genes are expressed during latency. To better detect and characterize latency transcripts, we are currently extracting RNA from human ganglia, processing it with reverse transcriptase, and performing polymerase chain reactions (PCR) using synthetic olio nucleotides representing targeted VZV open reading frames. In other studies, we are defining the roles and components of open reading frames responsible for VZV gene regulation. Specifically, by creating mutations within genes 4 and 61, we identified protein domains responsible for gene transactivation and suppression.