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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Dissecting Host-virus Interaction in Lytic Replication of a Model Herpesvirus
Published on: October 7, 2011
Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 contains two functional lytic origins of replication
Heiko Adler1, Beatrix Steer, Klaus Freimüller
1Institute of Molecular Immunology, Clinical Cooperation Group Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Marchioninistrasse 25, D-81377 Munich, Germany. h.adler@gsf.de
Abstract:
A 1.25-kbp DNA fragment from the right side of the genome containing the lytic origin of replication (oriLyt) of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) has been identified by a plasmid replication assay. Here we show that a mutant MHV-68 with a deletion of an essential part of this oriLyt, generated by using an MHV-68 bacterial artificial chromosome, was only slightly attenuated and still able to replicate but that a mutant containing an additional deletion on the left side of the genome was replication deficient. The newly identified region was sufficient to support plasmid replication, thus providing evidence for a second oriLyt.
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