Change of DNA near the origin of replication enhances the transforming capacity of human papovavirus BK.

A turbid-plaque-forming mutant (pm522) of human papovavirus BK, which has a small deletion at about 0.7 map unit and grows somewhat more slowly in human cells than does wild-type BK virus, transformed hamster and rat cells in culture much more efficiently than did wild-type virus. Another plaque morphology mutant, pm525, forming turbid plaques larger than those of pm522 also had a high transforming capacity. The similar difference in transforming capability between wild-type and plaque morphology viruses was observed with DNAs extracted from virions. Recombinant viruses were constructed from the wild-type DNA fragment lacking HindIII-C (0.62 to 0.73 map unit) and pm522 HindIII-C (including the origin of replication) by the molecular cloning method. Characterization of the recombinants showed that the change near the origin of DNA replication was responsible both for the altered plaque morphology and for the enhanced transforming capacity of the BK virus mutant.