Detection of transcripts of Marek's disease virus serotype 1 ICP4 homologue (MDV1 ICP4) by in situ hybridization

Abstract

Homologues of herpes simplex virus ICP4 are important genes for the activation of many herpesviruses. We detected transcripts of the Marek's disease virus serotype 1 homologue of ICP4 (MDV1 ICP4) by in situ hybridization (ISH). Using a digoxigenin-labeled-RNA (DIG-RNA) probe, MDV1 ICP4 transcripts were detected in c.a. 90% of MDV1-infected chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) cells when cytopathic effect was reached to 90% of the CEF cells and in 0.35% of MDCC-MSB-1 (MSB-1) cells, at a frequency similar to that for MD antigen-positive MSB-1 cells. Using the same in situ procedure, we detected abundant MDV1 ICP4 transcripts in the feather follicle epithelium (FFE) and some lymphoid cells in the liver, kidney and peripheral nerve of infected chickens. The subcellular localization of the transcripts appeared to vary: MSB-1 cells had them in the nucleus, infected CEF cells and FFE had them in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and lymphoid cells contained them in the cytoplasm. The MDV1 ICP4 transcripts were also detected in the FFE and lymphoid cells in the liver by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Detection of MDV1 ICP4 transcripts by RT-PCR indicated the existance of MDV1 ICP4 transcripts-positive cells in these tissues. And these data suggested that DIG-RNA-ISH can detect MDV transcripts on paraffin sections and provide information about their subcellular localization.