Analysis of the DNAs from seven varicella-zoster virus isolates.

The 32P-labeled DNAs from seven different clinical isolates of human varicella-zoster virus (VZV) were independently digested with five site-specific restriction endonucleases, EcoRI, HindIII, SmaI, BamHI, and AvaI. The digestion products were analyzed by electrophoresis on 0.5% agarose gels followed by autoradiography of the dried gels. Evaluation of the restriction enzyme cleavage patterns revealed small variations among the VZV DNAs. The VZV DNAs were also compared based on their buoyant densities in CsCl. No significant buoyant density differences were detected among the VZV DNAs.