DEVELOPMENT OF NONRADIOACTIVE DNA PROBES FOR THE DETECTION OF HBLV

A NOVEL HUMAN B-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS (HBLV) HAS BEEN RECENTLY ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS. THIS HERPES VIRUS HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INFECT B AND T LYMPHOCYTES AND TO ALTER THEIR MORPHOLOGY AND GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE VIRUS IN CAUSING HUMAN DISEASES HAS NOT BEEN FULLY EVALUATED BUT IS CERTAINLYOF MUCH INTEREST TO RESEARCHERS AND CLINICIANS. BIOTECH RESEARCH LABORATORIES, INC. HAS DEVELOPED A RAPID AND SENSITIVE ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF HBLV-INFECTED CELLS BY IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION AND FOR HBLV DNA IN CELL OR SERUM EXTRACTS BY SLOT BLOT HYBRIDIZATIONS. THE PROBE CONSISTS OFA PLASMID CONTAINING SEQUENCES CODING FOR A PORTION OF THE HBLV GENOME CHEMICALLY LABELED WITH DINITROBENZENE (DNB). SPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION IS DETECTED BY REACTIVITY WITH RABBIT ANTI-DNB FOLLOWED BY ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE-CONJUGATED GOAT ANTIRABBIT IGG AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. THIS HAPTEN-LABELED PROBE IS A STABLE, SENSITIVE, AND SPECIFIC ALTERNATIVE TO THE USE OF RADIOLABELED PROBES. EVENTUALLY, THE SIMPLIFIED HBLV DNA DETECTION SYSTEM WILL BEASSEMBLED WITH ALL NECESSARY COMPONENTS SUPPLIED IN KIT FORM FOR ROUTINE USE IN CLINICAL LABORATORIES. THE AVAILABILITY OF SUCH AN INEXPENSIVE AND PRACTICAL DNA PROBE KIT FOR HBLV WILL FACILITATE THE STUDY OF THE ETIOLOGICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VIRUS.