Temperature-sensitive mutants of herpes simplex virus type 2: description of three new complementation groups and studies on the inhibition of host cell DNA synthesis.

Three new complementation groups of type 2 herpes simplex virus are described bringing the total number of complementation groups characterized to 13. Of the three new groups, ts 11 fails to make virus DNA at non-permissive temperature (38 degrees C) whereas ts 12 and ts 13 synthesize only very small amounts of virus or cellular DNA at 38 degrees C. ts 11, like ts 9 (Halliburton & Timbury, 1973) fails to switch off host cell DNA synthesis at 38 degrees C. That this is a failure to switch off cell DNA rather than a stimulation of cell DNA synthesis was confirmed in experiments using resting cells. Both the inability to make virus DNA and the inability to switch off cell DNA are reversed in temperature shift-down experiments with cells infected with ts 9 or ts 11. In temperature shift-up experiments, cellular DNA synthesis is inhibited after the shift but virus DNA is only made in very small amounts, probably due to the continuing functioning of a protein made at permissive temperature (31 degrees C) before the shift but which cannot be made at 38 degrees C. The shift-down experiments and the fact that ts 9 and ts 11 complement one another, suggest that the switch-off of host cell DNA synthesis may involve more than one virus specified function. U.v. irradiated virus fails to switch off host cell DNA synthesis.