Expression of a human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein multigene family

The short unique component of the human cytomegalovirus genome contains several multigene families, one of which encodes glycoproteins in the virion envelope glycoprotein complex gcII (4). The HXLF glycoprotein multigene family was subcloned into pSP6 or pGEM transcription vectors. Gene products were expressed from the six open reading frames (designated HXLF1 through HXLF6) via in vitro transcription and translation in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The HXLF gene products were analyzed by immunoprecipitation using virus-specific monoclonal antibodies or human convalescent-phase antisera. One of the anti-gcII monoclonal antibodies, designated 9E10, specifically immunoprecipitated each of the HXLF gene products. Four of the HXLF gene products were immunoprecipitated by human convalescent-phase antisera, but not preimmune sera. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNAs purified from 12 different virus isolates indicated the HXLF multigene family is present in wild-type strains of human cytomegalovirus.