Persistence of herpes simplex virus type-2 genome in a human leukemic cell line

To study the nature of virus-cell interaction in persistently infected cells we have examined production of infectious virus, synthesis of viral DNA and DNA polymerase in a human leukemic cell line K562. It was found that only one of three K562 cell lines was permissive for limited growth of HSV-2 and infectious virus was released in a cyclical fashion. Intranuclear inclusions with electron-dense fibrils and particles resembling viral structures were observed in the virus-infected but not control K562 cells. Viral DNA synthesis could not be detected by centrifugation in CsCl density gradients; but was readily identified by Southern blot hydridization of virus-infected intracellular DNA with purified viral DNA. Viral DNa polymerase was synthesized by infected cells during active infectious virus production. In one of the two K562 cell lines that did not produce infectious virus, a few DNA fragments from infected cells were found to hybridize with purified viral DNA. These results suggest that variable lengths of HSV-2 genome can be harbored and propagated by different human leukemic K562 cells.