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Abstract

A DNA probe has been isolated which is capable of hybridizing to an oligonucleotide sequence coding for a polypeptide from a major 64 Kilodalton protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMVgp64). The probe has a sequence of at least seventeen (17) to as many as seven hundred twenty-one 721) nucleotides. The probe may be labelled as by radioactivity. The probe has been used to screen DNA fragments constituting a subgenomic library of human cytomegalovirus DNA to obtain DNA fragments coding for the major late protein of human cytomegalovirus. The DNA fragments coding for the major late protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMVgp64) may be hybridized to DNA fragments of HCMV DNA from an individual having human cytomegalovirus infection. The viral DNA can be used as whole HCMV DNA or as fragments formed by digesting the human cytomegalovirus DNA with a restriction endonuclease such as one of the restriction endonucleases EcoRI, BamHI, XbaI, HindIII and PrtI. During the screening of clinical specimens, the DNA fragment coding for HCMVgp64 of human cytomegalovirus hybridizes to whole HCMV DNA or to a particular one of the DNA fragments produced by digesting the human cytomegalovirus DNA with the restriction endonucleases. As a resuslt of such hybridization, the identity of human cytomegalovirus may be established. The particular DNA fragment may have a map location of approximately 0.50 to 0.51 units in the human cytomegalovirus (strain Towne) genome. It may have a sequence of about 721 nucleotides. The major late protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMVgp64) also reacts with T-lymphocytes of an individual after natural infection of that individual with human cytomegalovirus. Thus, the HCMVgp64 protein may be used as a vaccine to prevent HCMV infection.

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