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Updated: Jan 25, 2026
04:41
Plaquing of Herpes Simplex Viruses
Published on: November 5, 2021
7.0K
Examination of herpes virus DNA sequences for patterns that resemble transposable elements
1Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dental Branch 77225.
Journal of Oral Pathology
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Herpes viruses may cause oral tumors by inserting DNA sequences. Computer algorithms identified more of these viral insertion sequences than previously known, suggesting they play a role in cell transformation.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Bioinformatics
- Genetics
Background:
- Herpes viruses are linked to oral tumors and exhibit in vitro tumorigenicity.
- The precise mechanisms of herpes virus-induced cell transformation are not fully understood.
- Insertion sequences within herpes virus DNA are hypothesized to be involved in tumorigenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate algorithms for detecting specific patterns in DNA sequences.
- To identify potential insertion sequences within herpes virus DNA.
- To assess the role of these sequences in viral cell transformation.
Main Methods:
- Development of two distinct algorithms: one based on selection and another on scoring techniques.
- Application of these algorithms to analyze DNA sequences of herpes viruses.
- Comparison of algorithm performance on randomly shuffled versus known herpes virus sequences.
Main Results:
- Both algorithms detected numerous patterns in shuffled herpes virus sequences.
- The scoring algorithm identified fewer patterns than the selection algorithm in shuffled sequences.
- Computer analysis revealed significantly more known insertion patterns in herpes virus DNA than previously reported.
Conclusions:
- Visual inspection is insufficient for identifying all relevant patterns in herpes virus DNA.
- The high frequency of detected patterns suggests herpes virus DNA transforming regions may contain transposable elements.
- Further experimental validation is required to confirm the presence and function of transposable elements in herpes virus-mediated cell transformation.
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