Cloning of full length genome of varicella-zoster virus vaccine strain into a bacterial artificial chromosome and reconstitution of infectious virus

• Published in: Vaccine 2007-06, Vol.25 (27), p.5006-5012
• Main Authors: Yoshii, Hironori, Somboonthum, Pranee, Takahashi, Michiaki, Yamanishi, Koichi, Mori, Yasuko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Amino Acid Substitution - genetics; Amino acids; Applied microbiology; BAC; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial - genetics; Cloning; Cloning, Molecular; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; E coli; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genome, Viral - genetics; Genomes; Herpesvirus 3, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 3, Human - growth & development; Humans; Infections; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mutation; Oka vaccine strain; Plasmids; Plasmids - genetics; Studies; Transfection; Vaccines; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); Vaccines, DNA - genetics; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; Varicella-zoster virus; Virology; Viruses; VZV
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.04.064

Abstract The complete genome of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) Oka vaccine strain (vOka) has been cloned into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), and several BAC clones with the vOka genome have been obtained. Infectious viruses were reconstituted in MRC-5 cells transfected with the vOka-BAC DNA clones. The clones were distributed into two groups based on differences in amino acids found in ORF 62/71 region among the vOka-BAC clones. The recombinant vOka (rvOka) grew slower than recombinant Oka parental virus (rpOka), pOka and vOka. This is the first report that the vOka genome was cloned into BAC vector. The rvOka-BAC system would be useful as a vector for construction of recombinant live vaccines.