FIG. 4.

Analysis of left terminal sequences from packaged amplicons. Plasmid pΔ2C was transfected in HHV-6B-infected J-Jahn cells. Ninety-six hours later, viral nucleocapsids or extracellular virions were purified and used as a source of DNA for PCR amplification and cloning of terminal DNA fragments from packaged plasmid DNA concatemers. The sequences of 11 randomly selected clones derived from viral nucleocapsids (between E1 and E18) are shown, together with 9 clones from extracellular virions (between U1 and U11). These sequences are compared to that of the left genome terminus of the R1 isolate of HHV-6B (HHV-6B) and to that of the concatemeric junction fragment contained in plasmid pΔ2C (C62) (29). Dots, gaps introduced for purposes of alignment; uppercase letters, viral sequences extending beyond the left genome terminus; underlined sequences (in E4, E13, and E14), regions that are not homologous either to HHV-6 DNA or to plasmid (pΔ2C) DNA (or to any other DNA in GenBank).