Elsevier

Virology

Volume 102, Issue 2, 30 April 1980, Pages 420-430
Virology

Inhibition by acyclovir of cell growth and DNA synthesis of cells biochemically transformed with Herpesvirus genetic information

https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(80)90109-9Get rights and content

Abstract

Thymidine kinase-deficient LM cells (LMTK-) biochemically transformed to the TK+ phenotype with herpes simplex virus genetic information showed an increased uptake of and ability to phosphorylate the acyclic nucleoside analog 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine (acyclovir, acycloguanosine, acyclo-Guo). In growth inhibition studies the TK+ transformants were much more sensitive to inhibition with acyclovir than the untransformed cells (13- to 90-fold more sensitive). The synthesis of DNA in the transformed cells was significantly reduced by acyclovir treatment, whereas acyclovir had little effect on the DNA synthesis of the untransformed cells. Alkaline sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis of cellular DNA synthesized in the presence of acyclovir showed that, in contrast to untreated untransformed cells, the DNA newly synthesized by transformed cells was considerably smaller in size. In pulse-chase experiments the small fragments of DNA synthesized in the presence of acyclo-Guo were not chased to high molecular weight DNA. Finally, acyclo-Guo was shown to be incorporated terminally at 3′-ends of growing DNA chains in replicating cells.

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Presented in part at the 18th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents on Chemotherapy (1978) in Atlanta, Ga.

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