MOLECULES PROBES FOR HUMAN B-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS

THE HUMAN HERPES VIRUS TYPE 6 (HHV-6) IS A NOVEL HERPES VIRUS ISOLATED FROM FRESH HUMAN BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS. ALTHOUGH NOT EXCLUSIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS), HHV-6 MAY PLAY A ROLE IN LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE ABNORMALITIES. AS A RECENT VIRUS ISOLATE, LITTLE IS KNOWN OF THE BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF HHV-6, AND FEW REAGENTS ARE AVAILABLE TO INVESTIGATORS IN THE FIELD. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BATTERY OF SUBGENOMIC DNA PROBES OF HHV-6 IS NECESSARY TO FACILITATE STUDIES AIMED AT ELUCIDATING THE ROLE OF THIS VIRUS IN HUMANS, INCLUDING ITS PUTATIVE PATHOLOGICAL ROLE. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL CONCENTRATE ON DEVELOPING SUBGENOMICDNA PROBES OF HHV-6. DURING THE PHASE II EFFORT, THE BATTERY OF PROBES WILL BE EXPANDED AND FURTHER CHARACTERIZED, THE VIRAL GENOME WILL BE MAPPED, AND CLINICALDIAGNOSTIC KITS WILL BE DEVELOPED.