A Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 γ34.5 Second-Site Suppressor Mutant That Exhibits Enhanced Growth in Cultured Glioblastoma Cells Is Severely Attenuated in Animals

ABSTRACT We describe here the neurovirulence properties of a herpes simplex virus type 1 γ34.5 second-site suppressor mutant. γ34.5 mutants are nonneurovirulent in animals and fail to grow in a variety of cultured cells due to a block at the level of protein synthesis. Extragenic suppressors with restored capacity to replicate in cells that normally do not support the growth of the parental γ34.5 deletion mutant have been isolated. Although the suppressor virus reacquires the ability to grow in nonpermissive cultured cells, it remains severely attenuated in mice and is indistinguishable from the mutant γ34.5 parent virus at the doses investigated. Repairing the γ34.5 mutation in the suppressor mutant restores neurovirulence to wild-type levels. These studies illustrate that (i) the protein synthesis and neurovirulence defects observed in γ34.5 mutant viruses can be genetically separated by an extragenic mutation at another site in the viral chromosome; (ii) the extragenic suppressor mutation does not affect neurovirulence; and (iii) the attenuated γ34.5 mutant, which replicates poorly in many cell types, can be modified by genetic selection to generate a nonpathogenic variant that regains the ability to grow robustly in a nonpermissive glioblastoma cell line. As this γ34.5 second-site suppressor variant is attenuated and replicates vigorously in neoplastic cells, it may have potential as a replication-competent, viral antitumor agent.