Thompson R, Honess R W, Taylor L, Morran J, Davison A J
J Gen Virol. 1987 May;68 ( Pt 5):1449-55. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-68-5-1449.
A homology search of proteins predicted from the recently reported complete DNA sequence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) revealed that the product of gene 13 was highly homologous to eukaryotic and prokaryotic thymidylate synthetases (TSs). The VZV protein was shown to be a TS by three functional tests. Firstly, a plasmid designed to express the native protein was able to complement a strain of Escherichia coli in which the natural TS gene is deleted. Secondly, in an enzyme assay for TS, extracts of the complemented strain were capable of releasing tritiated water from 2'-deoxy[5-3H]uridylate. Thirdly, these extracts contained a protein that bound isotopically labelled 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate, a ligand specific for the active site of TS. In addition, a novel ligand-binding protein was detected in human cells infected with VZV.
对根据水痘-带状疱疹病毒（VZV）最近报道的完整DNA序列预测的蛋白质进行同源性搜索发现，基因13的产物与真核和原核胸苷酸合成酶（TSs）高度同源。通过三项功能测试表明VZV蛋白是一种TS。首先，设计用于表达天然蛋白的质粒能够互补缺失天然TS基因的大肠杆菌菌株。其次，在TS的酶活性测定中，互补菌株的提取物能够从2'-脱氧[5-³H]尿苷酸中释放出氚化水。第三，这些提取物含有一种与同位素标记的5-氟-2'-脱氧尿苷酸结合的蛋白质，5-氟-2'-脱氧尿苷酸是TS活性位点的特异性配体。此外，在感染VZV的人类细胞中检测到一种新型配体结合蛋白。
