Genes for the Synthesis of Deoxythymidylate Monophosphate in T-Cell Lymphoma-Inducing Herpesviruses of Nonhuman Primates

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) and herpesvirus ateles (HVA) are T-lymphotropic viruses common in certain New World primates. Both viruses appear not to be pathogenic in their natural host species, squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and spider monkeys (Ateles spp.), respectively. However, they can induce rapidly progressing T-cell lymphomas in a wide spectrum of South American monkeys (reviewed in Flecken-stein and Desrosiers 1982), and both viruses are capable of transforming T cells of marmoset monkeys in vitro (Falk et al. 1978; Schirm et al. 1984; Desrosiers et al. 1986). The herpesvirus group is in general highly heterogeneous with respect to the molecular structure of genomic DNA and pathogenic properties.