Molecular cloning and analysis of three cDNA clones homologous to human cytomegalovirus RNAs present during late infection.

Three virus-specific clones were isolated from a cDNA library synthesized from human cytomegalovirus (AD169)-infected cell RNA and cloned into the expression vector lambda gt11. These clones, designated C3, D10, and H10 were each found to express a human cytomegalovirus/beta-galactosidase fusion protein that was reactive with antibody prepared against purified virions. By using the cloned cDNA, we were able to identify the transcripts that code for each gene product and study the kinetics of expression during permissive infection. Our results suggest that at least two of the RNAs undergo posttranscriptional processing and appear in infected cells at immediate-early times. The authentic C3 gene product was identified by probing Western blots with antibody prepared against fusion protein fpC3.