Comparison of herpes simplex virus isolates using a quantitative selection assay for transformation.

Transformation potential of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) was quantitatively compared in a system selecting for biochemical transformants. The highest frequency of transformation was obtained with HSV-2 strain 333. The transformation rates for two strains of HSV-1 were lower and distinctly different from HSV-2 and from each other. The dose of inactivating ultraviolet light received by the virus and the multiplicity of infection proved to be critical components of the procedure. Clones of these biochemically transformed cells expressed HSV-specific antigens, altered cell morphology, and increased levels of thymidine kinase activity. Isolates of HSV-1 recovered from the same site 11 years apart yielded similar transforming frequencies. These results suggest that this assay should prove useful in further characterizing the biological properties of HSV.