Deoxypyrimidine kinases of herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2: comparison of serological and structural properties.

The kinetics of formation, the stability at 40 degrees C and the serological properties of thymidine kinase and deoxycytidine kinase activities induced by herpes simplex virus have been examined. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that both activities are carried on the same molecule-a deoxypyrimidine kinase. Mutants deficient in deoxypyrimidine kinase have been used to produce, by absorption of general antisera, deoxypyrimidine kinase-specific antisera. Using immunoprecipitation and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, only one size of polypeptide (mol. wt. 42400 plus or minus 200) has been found, constituting the type 2 enzyme. This is close to published values for the type i enzyme but co-electrophoresis demonstrated that the polypeptide of the type i enzyme was slightly bigger.