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PubMed2000

A bacteriophage lambda-based genetic screen for characterization of the activity and phenotype of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) resistance to antiretroviral drugs is the main cause of patient treatment failure. Despite the problems associated with interpretation of HIV-1 resistance testing, resistance monitoring should help in the rational design of initial or rescue antiretroviral therapies. It has previously been shown that the activity of the HIV-1 protease can be monitored by using a bacteriophage lambda-based genetic assay. This genetic screening system is based on the bacteriophage lambda regulatory circuit in which the viral repressor cI is specifically cleaved to initiate the lysogenic to lytic switch. We have adapted this simple lambda-based genetic assay for the analysis of the activities and phenotypes of different HIV-1 proteases. Lambda phages that encode HIV-1 proteases either from laboratory strains (strain HXB2) or from clinical samples are inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the HIV-1 protease inhibitors indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, and nelfinavir. Distinct susceptibilities to different drugs were also detected among phages that encode HIV-1 proteases carrying different resistance mutations, further demonstrating the specificity of this assay. Differences in proteolytic processing activity can also be directly monitored with this genetic screen system since two phage populations compete in culture with each other until one phage outgrows the other. In summary, we present here a simple, safe, and rapid genetic screening system that may be used to predict the activities and phenotypes of HIV-1 proteases in the course of viral infection and antiretroviral therapy. This assay responds appropriately to well-known HIV-1 protease inhibitors and can be used to search for new protease inhibitors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Herpes simplex virus type 1 pathogenicity in mice expressed by lytic infection in pre-B and B cells.

The outcome of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in human or in the murine model can be influenced by host immunocompetency. We postulate in this work that HSV-1 infection alters bone marrow B lymphopoiesis in genetically determined susceptible mice. To verify this hypothesis, resistant C57BL/6 or susceptible A/J adult mice were intraperitoneally infected with HSV-1 (McIntyre strain). At various postinfection times, spleen and bone marrow were collected from both infected mouse strains. B lineage cell subpopulations were identified by double immunofluorescence assays using mAbs to terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), 220-kDa surface membrane glycoprotein (detected by mAb 14.8), and cytoplasmic (c mu) or surface (s mu) IgM chains. Results revealed a decrease in both percentage and absolute number of splenic B (c mu+, s mu+) cells and bone marrow pre-B (c mu+, s mu-) and B cells isolated only from susceptible A/J mice. No effect was observed on pro-B (14.8+, c mu-) or TdT+ precursor cells from both mouse strains. Intracellular viral proteins were detected in pre-B and B cells in in vivo-infected susceptible A/J mice. In vitro studies also revealed that virus-induced cell lysis occurred in purified splenic and bone marrow pre-B or B cells derived only from susceptible A/J mice. Viral tropism for pre-B and B cells represents another immunodeficiency mechanism involved in the genetic sensitivity to HSV-1.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Transcriptional profiling of acute cytopathic murine hepatitis virus infection in fibroblast-like cells.

Understanding the orchestrated genome-wide cellular responses is critical for comprehending the early events of coronavirus infection. Microarray analysis was applied to assess changes in cellular expression profiles during different stages of two independent, highly controlled murine hepatitis virus (MHV) infections in vitro. Fibroblast-like L cells were infected at high multiplicity in order to study the direct effects of a synchronized lytic coronavirus infection. Total RNA was harvested from MHV- or mock-infected L cells at 3, 5 and 6 h post-infection and hybridized to Affymetrix microarrays representing approximately 12,500 murine genes and expressed sequences. The expression data were compared to their respective mock-infected controls. Quantitative RT-PCR of selected transcripts was used to validate the differential expression of transcripts and inter-experiment reproducibility of microarray analysis. It was concluded that MHV-A59 infection in fibroblast-like cells triggers very few transcriptional cellular responses in the first 3 h of infection. Later, after having established a productive infection, a chemokine response is induced together with other cellular changes associated with RNA and protein metabolism, cell cycle and apoptosis. Interferon responses are not triggered during infection, although the L cells can be readily stimulated to produce interferon by dsRNA, a known potent inducer of interferon. Possibly, the interferon response is actively counteracted by a virus-encoded antagonist as has been described previously for other RNA viruses.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Studies of nondefective adenovirus 2-simian virus 40 hybrid viruses. V. Isolation of additional hybrids which differ in their simian virus 40-specific biological properties.

Four new nondefective adenovirus 2 (Ad2)-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid viruses have been isolated. Although these viruses (designated Ad2(+)ND(2), Ad2(+)ND(3), Ad2(+)ND(4), and Ad2(+)ND(5)) were clonal derivatives of the same Ad2-SV40 hybrid population, they differ significantly from each other and from the previously isolated nondefective hybrid, Ad2(+)ND(1), in their biological properties or in the amount of SV40-specific RNA induced during lytic infection.Like Ad2(+)ND(1), Ad2(+)ND(2), and Ad2(+)ND(4) pass serially in both human embryonic kidney (HEK) and primary African green monkey kidney cells. In contrast, Ad2(+)ND(3) and Ad2(+)ND(5) pass serially only in HEK cells. Ad2(+)ND(2) is like Ad2(+)ND(1) in that it induces the SV40 U antigen, but not SV40 T antigen; however, in contrast to the perinuclear SV40 antigen induced by Ad2(+)ND(1), the SV40 antigen induced by Ad2(+)ND(2) is located peripherally in the cytoplasm as well as in the perinuclear region of infected cells. Ad2(+)ND(4) induces both the SV40 T and U antigens. Ad2(+)ND(3) and Ad2(+)ND(5) do not induce serologically detectable SV40 antigens and are distinguished from each other on the basis of the relative quantities of SV40-specific RNA which they induce. The induction of different SV40-specific functions suggests the incorporation of different segments of SV40 DNA within the genomes of the respective hybrid viruses.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed2002

Development of real-time NASBA assays with molecular beacon detection to quantify mRNA coding for HHV-8 lytic and latent genes.

BACKGROUND: Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is linked to the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), and the HHV-8 DNA load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is associated with the clinical stage of KS. To examine the expression of HHV-8 in PBMC, four HHV-8 mRNA specific NASBA assays were developed METHODS: We have developed four quantitative nucleic acid sequence-based amplification assays (NASBA-QT) specifically to detect mRNA coding for ORF 73 (latency-associated nuclear antigen, LANA), vGCR (a membrane receptor), vBcl-2 (a viral inhibitor of apoptosis) and vIL-6 (a viral growth factor). The NASBA technique amplifies nucleic acids without thermocycling and mRNA can be amplified in a dsDNA background. A molecular beacon is used during amplification to enable real-time detection of the product. The assays were tested on PBMC samples of two AIDS-KS patients from the Amsterdam Cohort. RESULTS: For all four assays, the limit of detection (LOD) of 50 molecules and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 100 molecules were determined using in vitro transcribed RNA. The linear dynamic range was 50 to 10(7) molecules of HHV-8 mRNA. We found HHV-8 mRNA expression in 9 out of the 10 tested samples. CONCLUSION: These real-time NASBA assays with beacon detection provide tools for further study of HHV-8 expression in patient material.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1982

Proteins containing only half of the coding information of early region 1b of adenovirus are functional in human cells transformed with the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene and adenovirus type 2 DNA.

We introduced into tk- human 143 cells adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) genes by transformation with a plasmid (p711) containing both Ad2 sequences and the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) tk gene. p711 contained approximately the left 8% of the Ad2 genome inserted in the HindIII site of pBR322, whereas the fragment of HSV-1 containing the tk gene was inserted in the BamHI site. Three tk+ cell lines were isolated after selection in HAT medium. The arrangement of viral sequences in the three transformants was analyzed by restriction endonuclease digestion and filter hybridization. All three lines contained a single insertion of Ad2 DNA which was present at approximately one copy per cell. The arrangement of Ad2 sequences in these lines was identical to that found in the linear p711 DNA used in the transformation. S1 analysis of the Ad2-specified RNA from two of these lines indicated that the early region 1a mRNA's were synthesized, though in lower amounts than found in lytic infections. These cell lines contained only the left half of early region 1b (4.6 to 11.2), which encoded the 5' portion of the 1b mRNA's. A complex pattern of 1b RNAs was made in these cell lines. Transcription of most of these RNAs began at or near the 1b promoter and proceeded through the 1b sequences into the flanking pBR322, HSV-1, or host sequences. Since many of the RNAs were terminated or spliced in the HSV-1 (anti-sense strand) or pBR322 sequences, new RNA processing sites must be used in the formation of these mRNA's. All three lines fully complemented the 1a deletion mutant Ad5 dl312. Surprisingly, these lines also permitted the growth of 1b deletion mutants (Ad5 dl313 and Ad5 dl434), although the complementation was not always complete. Presumably the new gene product(s) which contained only part of the 1b gene provided most of the essential function(s) required for viral multiplication. Alternatively, the 1b 19-kilodalton protein which was entirely encoded by the adenovirus sequences present in these cell lines was sufficient for viral growth even in the absence of the 1b 55-kilodalton protein.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed2001

Complete genomic sequence of the lytic bacteriophage phiYeO3-12 of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3.

phiYeO3-12 is a T3-related lytic bacteriophage of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3. The nucleotide sequence of the 39,600-bp linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome was determined. The phage genome has direct terminal repeats of 232 bp, a GC content of 50.6%, and 54 putative genes, which are all transcribed from the same DNA strand. Functions were assigned to 30 genes based on the similarity of the predicted products to known proteins. A striking feature of the phiYeO3-12 genome is its extensive similarity to the coliphage T3 and T7 genomes; most of the predicted phiYeO3-12 gene products were >70% identical to those of T3, and the overall organizations of the genomes were similar. In addition to an identical promoter specificity, phiYeO3-12 shares several common features with T3, nonsubjectibility to F exclusion and growth on Shigella sonnei D(2)371-48 (M. Pajunen, S. Kiljunen, and M. Skurnik, J. Bacteriol. 182:5114-5120, 2000). These findings indicate that phiYeO3-12 is a T3-like phage that has adapted to Y. enterocolitica O:3 or vice versa. This is the first dsDNA yersiniophage genome sequence to be reported.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Perforin and Fas in murine gammaherpesvirus-specific CD8(+) T cell control and morbidity.

The immune system uses both virus-specific T cells and B cells to control the acute and latent phases of respiratory infection with the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (gammaHV-68). We sought to further define the important effector mechanisms for CD8(+) T cells. First, depletion of the CD4(+) T cells resulted in a failure of most animals to drive the virus into latency, although lytic virus in the lung was reduced by approximately 1000-fold from its peak. Second, the absence of either perforin or Fas alone had no impact on the ability to reduce titres of lytic virus in the lung. Further neutralization of IFN-gamma in CD4-depleted P(+/+), P(-/-) or Fas(-/-) mice had no effect. To define the requirements for Fas or perforin more clearly, two sets of chimeric mice were constructed differing in perforin expression by the T cells, and Fas on infected epithelial cells or lymphocytes. Animals with P(-/-) T cells and a Fas(-/-) lung failed to limit the shedding of infectious virus, regardless of whether CD4 T cells were present. In addition, we noted that having P(-/-) T cells in irradiated Fas(+/+) hosts caused a lethal disease that was not apparent in the non-chimeric (unirradiated) P(-/-) (Fas(+/+)) mice. In another set of chimeric mice, P(-/-) T cells were able to limit persistent infection of B cells that expressed Fas, but not B cells that were Fas-deficient. These studies demonstrate that some degree of cytotoxicity via either perforin or Fas is essential for CD8(+) T cells to control this DNA virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Increased sensitivity of human lymphoid lines to natural killer cells after induction of the Epstein-Barr viral cycle by superinfection or sodium butyrate.

Superinfection of latently Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-carrying Raji cells with the P3HR-1 substrain EBV, known to induce the entry of a substantial fraction of cells into an abortively lytic cycle, increased the susceptibility of the cells to natural killer (NK) effect of human blood lymphocytes. Reciprocal cold-target competition tests with known NK-cell sensitive and -resistant lymphoid cell ines showed that the increased susceptibility is a result of the appearance of an NK-sensitive target, rather than to a general increase in membrane fragility. Lymphocytes of EBV-seropositive and -negative donors were equally effective killers against P3HR-1 virus-superinfected targets. EBV-induced NK sensitivity increased with time. It was a result of some event associated with the intracellular viral cycle, and not to the adherence of viral particles to the cell surface. Induction of EBV-carrying P3HR-1 cells to entry into the viral cycle with n-butyrate also increased their NK sensitivity. A transforming, noncytopathic prototype strain of EBV, B95-8, failed to increase the susceptibility of theRaji cells to NK-lysis, although it had some effect on the Daudi line. Because NK cells can kill virus-producing cells at an early stage of the cycle, before the virus particles are assembled, they may restrict, in vivo, the spread of the virus from latently infected cells.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1983

Fusion resistance and decreased infectability as major host cell determinants of coronavirus persistence.

Mouse hepatitis virus persists in cultures of a subline (designated LM-K) of mouse LM cells but produces a lytic infection in L-2 cells. Persistence in the LM-K cells was not accompanied by production of ts mutants or of soluble anti-MHV factors. Infectious center assay demonstrated an approximately 500-fold lower level of infectibility by MHV of the LM-K cells as compared to L-2 cells. On an infected cell basis, production levels of infectious progeny and viral RNA were comparable between the two cell lines. The extent of virus-induced cell-cell fusion, however, was markedly reduced in the LM-K cells. Cell-mixing experiments showed that both infected L-2 and LM-K cells have the capacity of fusing with neighboring uninfected L-2 cells but not with uninfected LM-K cells. This suggests that the decreased level of fusion observed in the LM-K infection is due not to absence of viral fusion protein at the cell surface, but rather to an inherent resistance of the LM-K cell membrane to MHV-induced fusion. It is believed that such fusion resistance in LM-K cells moderates virus dissemination throughout the culture, thereby contributing to a state of virus persistence.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

High efficiency gene transfer to the central nervous system of rodents and primates using herpes virus vectors lacking functional ICP27 and ICP34.5.

The safe and efficient use of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-based vectors to deliver genes of potentially therapeutic benefit to the central nervous system will require their effective disablement by the inactivation of viral genes required for lytic growth. Here we report that viruses lacking functional genes for ICP27 (which is required for growth in all cell types) and ICP34.5 (which is required for growth in nondividing cell types) can deliver a marker gene to both the rodent and primate CNS with high efficiency whilst producing relatively minimal damage and having no effect on sodium currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons. Such viruses paradoxically deliver genes at much higher efficiency than the less disabled single mutant lacking ICP34.5 alone and also, as expected, produce less damage in vivo. Moreover, unlike the single mutant lacking ICP27 the double mutant viruses cannot revert to wild-type by acquistion of complimenting gene sequences during growth of virus stocks in vitro on dividing cells expressing ICP27 since artificial expression of ICP34.5 in these cells is not required. Such ICP27-; ICP34.5- viruses thus offer a platform for the development of vectors which are sufficiently safe for ultimate use in human gene therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Role of c-myc regulation in Zta-mediated induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p27 and cell growth arrest.

Latency-associated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) gene expression induces cell proliferation. Unlike the latency associated genes, lytic gene expression in EBV, as well as other herpesviruses, elicits cell cycle arrest. Previous studies have shown that the EBV immediate early lytic transactivator, Zta, induces a G(0)/G(1) cell cycle arrest through induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p21 and p27. Here we show that while EBV latency is intimately linked to activation of the protooncogene, c-myc, Zta represses c-myc expression. We also show that inhibition of c-myc expression is required for Zta-mediated growth arrest and for maximal induction of p21 and p27. Nevertheless, induction of p21 and p27 is also influenced by a c-myc-independent mechanism. A detailed genetic analysis of Zta's basic/DNA binding region identified two distinct subregions that contribute to full induction of p21 and p27. One subdomain influences p21 and p27 expression through the c-myc-dependent mechanism and the other subdomain influences p21 and p27 induction through the c-myc-independent pathway. Together, these studies further our understanding of the complex nature of Zta-induced growth arrest.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Mapping the genes in the terminal redundancy of bacteriophage SPO1 with restriction endonucleases.

Although most early transcription from SPO1, a lytic DNA bacteriophage of Bacillus subtilis, is specified by the 12.6-kilobase region of the terminal redundancy, early genes from this region have not been identified by standard genetic means. We mapped genes to DNA regions of the SPO1 terminal redundancy by analyzing in vitro protein synthesis from isolated SPO1 restriction fragments in an Escherichia coli-coupled transcription-translation cell-free system. DNA from the terminal redundancy directs the synthesis in vitro of eleven proteins, e3, e4, e6, e7, e9, e12, e15, e16, e18, e20, and e21, which correspond in mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with authentic SPO1 early proteins. From their mapped positions on the DNA, genes were positioned downstream from most, but not all, of the twelve early promoter regions identified in vitro in the terminal redundancy. The temporal patterns of early protein synthesis in vivo suggest a differential turning on and off of early promoters in the terminal redundancy. Both in vivo and in vitro evidence suggests the existence of previously unidentified early promoter regions upstream from the genes for e6 and e4 as well as a middle promoter region upstream from the gene for e16.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1996

Herpes simplex virus VP16 rescues viral mRNA from destruction by the virion host shutoff function.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) virions contain two regulatory proteins that facilitate the onset of the lytic cycle: VP16 activates transcription of the viral immediate-early genes, and vhs triggers shutoff of host protein synthesis and accelerated turnover of cellular and viral mRNAs. VP16 and vhs form a complex in infected cells, raising the possibility of a regulatory link between them. Here we show that viral protein synthesis and mRNA levels undergo a severe decline at intermediate times after infection with a VP16 null mutant, culminating in virtually complete translational arrest. This phenotype was rescued by a transcriptionally incompetent derivative of VP16 that retains vhs binding activity, and was eliminated by inactivating the vhs gene. These results indicate that VP16 dampens vhs activity, allowing HSV mRNAs to persist in infected cells. Further evidence supporting this hypothesis came from the demonstration that a stably transfected cell line expressing VP16 was resistant to host shutoff induced by superinfecting HSV virions. Thus, in addition to its well known function as a transcriptional activator, VP16 stimulates viral gene expression at a post-transcriptional level, by sparing viral mRNAs from degradation by one of the virus-induced host shutoff mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Host regulation of lysogenic decision in bacteriophage lambda: transmembrane modulation of FtsH (HflB), the cII degrading protease, by HflKC (HflA).

The cII gene product of bacteriophage lambda is unstable and required for the establishment of lysogenization. Its intracellular amount is important for the decision between lytic growth and lysogenization. Two genetic loci of Escherichia coli are crucial for these commitments of infecting lambda genome. One of them, hflA encodes the HflKC membrane protein complex, which has been believed to be a protease degrading the cII protein. However, both its absence and overproduction stabilized cII in vivo and the proposed serine protease-like sequence motif in HflC was dispensable for the lysogenization control. Moreover, the HflKC protein was found to reside on the periplasmic side of the plasma membrane. In contrast, the other host gene, ftsH (hflB) encoding an integral membrane ATPase/protease, is positively required for degradation of cII, since loss of its function stabilized cII and its overexpression accelerated the cII degradation. In vitro, purified FtsH catalyzed ATP-dependent proteolysis of cII and HflKC antagonized the FtsH action. These results, together with our previous finding that FtsH and HflKC form a complex, suggest that FtsH is the cII degrading protease and HflKC is a modulator of the FtsH function. We propose that this transmembrane modulation differentiates the FtsH actions to different substrate proteins such as the membrane-bound SecY protein and the cytosolic cII protein. This study necessitates a revision of the prevailing view about the host control over lambda lysogenic decision.

ATP-Dependent Proteases↗
PubMed1990

Persistent infection of a glioma cell line generates a Theiler's virus variant which fails to induce demyelinating disease in SJL/J mice.

Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induces demyelinating disease which is associated with persistent virus infection of the central nervous system. To study the interaction between TMEV and host cells, we infected the G26-20 glioma cell line in vitro, and this resulted in a lytic infection in which most, but not all, cells were killed. Surviving cells divided and formed a viable monolayer in which a small proportion of cells displayed viral cytopathic effects. Levels of virus produced by these cultures over a 6 month period fluctuated between 6 and 8 log10 p.f.u./ml as measured by viral plaque assay. Similarly, the percentage of cells producing both viral antigen and viral RNA, as measured by a simultaneous immunoperoxidase/in situ hybridization technique, varied between 5 and 30%. Although persistently infected cultures were susceptible to challenge by both vesicular stomatitis virus and herpes simplex virus, they were resistant to infection by homologous viruses. Interferon activity was not identified. TMEV isolated from passage 12 produced smaller plaques than wild-type Daniels strain virus (wt-DAV) on L-2 cell monolayers. In contrast to demyelination induced in SJL/J mice after intracerebral inoculation with wt-DAV, mice infected with the small plaque variant virus failed to develop viral persistence or chronic demyelination. However, following immunosuppression by total body irradiation, SJL/J mice infected with the small plaque variant developed viral persistence but no demyelination. Characterization of the biochemical and molecular determinants of the variant will lead to a better understanding of determinants important in viral persistence.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Constitutive activation of U937 promonocytic cell clones selected for their resistance to parvovirus H-1 infection.

The human promonocytic cell line U937 is highly sensitive to the lytic effect of the autonomous parvovirus H-1. Rare cell variants that resisted H-1 virus infection could be isolated, of which four (RU1, RU2, RU3, and RU4) were further characterized. In contrast to parental cells, the RU clones sustained an abortive H-1 virus infection. Three of the clones showed a significant decrease in the accumulation levels of the c-Myc oncoprotein and in their capacity for forming tumors in immunodeficient mice. Surprisingly, all RU clones resisted the suppressing effect of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on c-myc oncogene expression and cell proliferation. In contrast, RU clones exhibited the TPA-induced changes in membrane surface antigens and nonspecific esterase activities that are characteristic of monocytic differentiation. Studies of the activation steady-state of RU cells demonstrated the constitutive production of significant amounts of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (O-.2). Inhibitors of NO and O-.2, production sensitized all RU cells to the killing effect of parvovirus H-1 and increased the production of infectious viral particles. These data argue for the participation of active oxygen species in macrophage defence mechanisms against parvovirus infection. Moreover, the use of parvovirus H-1 as a selective agent in a cell-colony formation assay allowed us to show that expression of defined markers of monocytic differentiation can be uncoupled from suppression of proliferation.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Regulation of adenovirus mRNA synthesis.

The lytic cycle of adenovirus is a tightly regulated sequence of stages. When this regulation is studied at the level of mRNA production, the most significant step in controlling gene expression is initiation of transcription. Thus in preceding from one stage of expression to another, viral factors seem to turn on transcription of new sets of genes. At the moment, it is thought that viral mRNA synthesis involves initiation of transcription at ten different promoter sites. It is likely that in some manner the frequency of an initiation of transcription at nine of these sites is affected by one or more viral gene products. With the recent development of soluble in vitro transcription systems that respond to exogenously added DNA, it should be possible to begin to study regulation of gene expression at this stage of transcription. At present, these systems yield the paradoxical observation that extracts prepared from uninfected human cells more efficiently recognize the late promoter as compared to the early promoter of adenovirus. As more is learned about regulation of synthesis of viral mRNAs, examples will surely be found where RNA processing and RNA turnover play a critical role in determining the level of mRNAs. Such cases are more likely to appear in the balancing of synthesis of different mRNAs derived from one transcriptional unit. Few experiments have been directed to this possibility and the study of adenovirus molecular biology is only now entering the age of maturity where these experiments are feasible.

Adenoviruses, Human↗