METHOD OF MAKING HERPES SIMPLEX TYPE 1 MUTANTS AND MUTANTS SO PRODUCED

Abstract: A method for introducing a mutation into a desired site in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 uses a set of starting vectors, where each starting vector has a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also DNA which overlaps with a sequential genomic fragment contained in other starting vectors, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination, a mutated replicable virus is formed. The starting vector containing a gene which is to be mutated is replaced by replacement vectors. The replacement vectors contain a copy of the mutated gene and overlapping DNA, and genomic DNA which was present in the starting vector. A host cell is transformed with the replacement vectors and the remaining starting vectors under conditions allowing replication of viral DNA and recombination to form a replicating mutated virus. In preferred embodiments, the protease gene is mutated.

Description: TITLE OF THE INVENTION METHOD OF MAKING HERPES SIMPLEX TYPE 1 MUTANTS AND MUTANTS SO PRODUCED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method for the introduction of mutations into a specific portion of the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) virus, particularly into its protease gene, and to mutant viruses so produced. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The Herpes Simplex Type-1 (HSV-1) virus is a relatively large virus (152,260 bp). While much is known about the viral life cycle and its general activity, it has been difficult to study the relationship between biochemical and biophysiological properties of its gene products and the viral life cycle, since its large size makes it difficult to create predetermined point mutations. HSV-1 protease is a serine protease that has both a structural and enzymatic role in the assembly of the HSV-1 capsid. The protease and infected cell protein 35 (ICP-35) form a complex of approximately 1 100 molecules in a ratio of 1 : 10 within the nucleus of the infected cell. Around this complex the capsid proteins assemble into B capsids. After assembly the protease cleaves itself twice and ICP-35 once, releasing the ICP-35 and the carboxyl terminal fragment of the protease from the capsid interior. The 247 amino acid protease remains within the capsid. Concurrently (or subsequently) the genomic HSV-1 DNA is packaged within the capsid. It would be desirable to have a simplified method of obtaining predetermined mutations in the HSV virus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of making a mutated HSV- 1 virus, wherein the mutation comprises a mutation selected from the group of: point mutations within a gene, an insertion of DNA, a deletion of DNA, and combinations thereof comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a section of the HSV-1 genome comprising the mutation and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one additional vector, so that upon transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA and recombination of viral DNA, a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. This invention further relates to a method of making an HSV-1 virus having a mutated gene comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a mutated HSV- 1 gene and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a virus is formed which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. This invention further relates to a method of making an HSV-1 virus having a mutated gene comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a set of starting vectors, each starting vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other starting vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a virus is formed which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line; (b) replacing a starting vector comprising a gene which is to be mutated with: a first replacement vector comprising a mutated gene and overlapping DNA, and at least one additional replacement vector comprising genomic DNA which was present in the replaced starting vector, but is not present in the first replacement vector and overlapping DNA; and (c) co-transfecting a host cell with the replacement vectors and the remaining starting vectors under conditions allowing replication of viral DNA and recombination of viral DNA to form a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. The first replacement vector may be made by a process comprising: (a) creating a vector comprising a gene site which is to be mutated and overlapping DNA; (b) defining a first restriction endonuclease site in a position 5' to the gene site which is to be mutated; (c) defining a second restriction endonuclease site in a position 3' to the gene site which is to be mutated, to define a wild-type gene segment contained between the first and second restriction endonuclease sites; (d) creating a mutant gene segment substantially identical to the wild-type gene segment, except for comprising a desired mutation; (e) replacing the wild-type gene segment with the mutant gene segment to obtain the first replacement vector. A further aspect of this invention is a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a mutated HSV-1 and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a mutated virus is formed which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. A further aspect of this invention are mutant viruses which can be made by the methods and using the vectors described above. This invention also relates to a method of making an HSV-1 virus having a mutated protease gene by transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a HSV-1 mutant protease gene and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination, a virus having a mutated protease gene and which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. This invention also relates to a method of making a mutant HSV-1 encoding a mutant viral protease comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a set of starting vectors, each starting vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising DNA which is overlapping DNA with a sequential genomic fragment contained in other starting vectors, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed; (b) replacing a starting vector comprising a protease gene which is to be mutated with: a first replacement vector comprising a full length mutated protease gene and overlapping DNA, and at least one additional replacement vector comprising genomic DNA which was present in the replaced starting vector, but is not present in the first replacement vector and overlapping DNA; and (c) co-transfecting a host cell with the replacement vectors and the remaining starting vectors under conditions allowing replication of viral DNA and recombination of viral DNA to form a mutant virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. The first replacement vector may be made by a process comprising: (a) creating a vector comprising a protease gene site which is to be mutated and overlapping DNA; (b) defining a first restriction endonuclease site in a position 5' to the protease gene segment which is to be mutated; (c) defining a second restriction endonuclease site in a position 3' to the protease gene site which is to be mutated to define a wild-type protease gene segment contained between the first and second restriction endonuclease sites; (d) creating a mutant protease gene segment substantially identical to the wild-type gene segment, except for comprising a desired mutation; and (e) replacing the wild-type gene segment with the mutant protease gene segment to obtain the first replacement vector. In addition to creating desired point mutations, the process of this invention allows one to make any other desired mutations, such as the deletion of an existing HSV-1 DNA segment, or the insertion of extra DNA, regardless of source into an HSV-1. Thus throughout the specification and claims, the terms "mutated" and "mutant" should be given their broadest meanings. Thus this invention further comprises a process for making a mutated HSV-1 virus wherein the mutation comprises an insertion of DNA comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising DNA to be inserted, and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one additional vector so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and homologous recombination a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. Vectors carrying the DNA to be inserted may be made substantially as those described carrying point mutations. Additionally, this invention also comprises a process for making a mutated HSV-1 virus wherein the mutation comprises a deletion of DNA comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising DNA homologous to DNA flanking the DNA which is to be deleted, and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV- 1 genome and also overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one additional vector, so that upon co- transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and homologous recombination, a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. Vectors may be made substantially as described for the point mutations. A further aspect of this invention are mutant viruses which can be made by the method described above. Preferred mutant viruses of this invention contain altered protease genes which confer phenotypes which are different from the wild-type virus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is the DNA and amino acid sequences (SEQ.ID.NOS 1 and 2) of the HSV-l(F) protease (Pra) BsmI fragment. (The 82bp upstream fragment is not shown). Figure 2 shows the cleavage sites for HSV-1 protease (Pra). Pra is a 635 amino acid serine protease that undergoes autocatalytic cleavage at Ala247 and Ala610. Products of the cleavage are diagrammed. Figure 3 is a diagram of the plasmid/cosmid-based mutagenesis process of this invention. As used in the specification and claims, the following definitions apply: Null Mutant: an HSV- 1 mutant which lacks the ability to grow or form plaques on Vero cells. Overlapping Vectors: two or more vectors, each containing a segment of a DNA which has sufficient common base pairs with the DNA contained in a second vector so that homologous recombination can occur when copies of the DNA are present in a common host. Replacement Vector: a vector, generally a plasmid, which contains a portion of a HSV- 1 genomic fragment which was originally present in a starting vector. In preferred embodiments, a starting vector will be replaced by two replacement vectors: the first one comprising the full length mutant gene and the second one comprising the remaining genomic DNA which was contained in the starting vector, but not present in the first vector. Additionally, replacement vectors also contain sufficient overlapping DNA so that homologous recombination can occur. Starting Vector: one of a series of vectors, generally cosmids, which together contain the full length genomic DNA of HSV-1 along with overlapping DNA. Overlapping DNA: a segment of DNA at least about 300 base pairs in length, more preferably about 2,000 to 5,000 base pairs in length, which is substantially identical to a segment in another vector. The vector generally contains two differing overlapping DNAs: one on the 5' end of the HSV-1 genomic DNA and one on the 3' end of the HSV-1 genomic DNA, and each overlapping DNA overlaps that of a different vector. Host Range Cell line: a host cell line which has been transformed to express a viral gene. Viruses which do not produce a functional version of this gene are able to utilize the protein that is produced by the transformed cell line. In preferred embodiments, the host range cell line expresses HSV-1 protease. Substantially Complete Genome: sufficient DNA is present so that upon transfection of a host cell, replication of the viral DNA and homologous recombination, a replicable HSV-1 virus is formed. This invention specifically envisions: 1) a HSV-1 virus containing a complete genome containing desired mutations and 2) an HSV-1 virus which does not have a complete genome, but the genes which are missing are not essential for virus replication; 3) an HSV-1 virus which is missing gene(s) essential for virus replication, but the missing gene product(s) are complemented by those produced in a host range cell line; and 4) an HSV-1 virus according to 1 ) or 2) or 3) and/or comprises additional DNA, regardless of source, which does not interfere with virus replication, or if replication is interfered with, which can be complemented by a host range cell line. Replicable Virus: an HSV-1 virus whose genome is neither too short not too long, so that functional capsid assembly and packaging occurs. One aspect of this invention is a convenient system which allows researchers to study any single gene in the context of the virus, and to create any desired mutation(s) within the virus, including insertions (regardless of the source of the DNA insert) and deletions. The starting point for the method according to this invention is a set of vectors, such as cosmids. The total number of vectors in the set is not critical, but together the set of vectors contain a substantially complete HSV-1 genome. In general, the total number of vectors should not be so large that it becomes cumbersome to co-transfect the host cell. Preferably, the number of vectors in a set should be less than ten, and more preferably, less than about eight, and most preferably about six. One or more of the vectors in the set are replaced by one or more replacement vectors, each replacement vector containing a smaller HSV-1 DNA insert than was present in the starting vector, but together the replacement vectors contain the "equivalent amount" of unique, non-overlapping HSV-1 genomic DNA as was present in the starting vector. ("Equivalent amount" as used in this context means substantially the same amount, plus or minus any DNA which was intentionally added or deleted as mutations.) If the complete gene which is to be mutated is contained within one starting vector, then only this single vector needs to be replaced. If, however, the gene which is to be mutated is contained on two starting vectors (i.e., each starting vector contains only a fragment of the gene), then the two starting vectors should be replaced. The first replacement vector of this invention may be a cosmid or a plasmid; plasmids are generally preferred. The vector may be any vector which is able to replicate in the host cell system. Any host cell may be utilized, but for general convenience, E. coli is preferred. The first replacement vector comprises a copy of the gene which one wishes to mutate, the DNA which is to be inserted along with DNA flanking the insertion point, or if the mutation is a deletion, DNA flanking the DNA which is to be deleted; the first replacement vector also comprises a sufficient amount of overlapping DNA so that homologous recombination can occur. While homologous recombination can occur with a few base pairs (i.e. less than 20), it is preferred that at least about 300 base pairs of overlapping DNA be present, and even more preferred that at least about 2,000 to about 5,000 be present. It is preferred that DNA be overlapping with DNA of at least one vector, and it is particularly preferred that it overlaps DNA of two vectors. Additional replacement vectors of this invention contain the remaining genes and/or gene fragments which were originally in the starting vector, along with overlapping DNA. Next, two restrictions sites should be defined in the replacement vector when it contains a gene to be mutated. These restriction sites, which may be naturally occurring or may be inserted as desired using known techniques, define a gene fragment which can be replaced by a newly synthesized mutated gene fragment. The first restriction site may be anywhere upstream of the position where the mutation or mutations are to be introduced. In a preferred embodiment, it is upstream of the initiation ATG site of the structural gene which is to be mutated. The second restriction site may be anywhere within the gene, or even downstream of the gene, as long as it is downstream of the site where desired mutation or mutations are to be made. It is also desirable to choose a position for the second restriction site which is close enough to the first restriction site so that with currently available technology, a mutated gene fragment may be easily synthesized and sequenced as needed. Thus, the second restriction site is generally less than about 2,000 bp downstream of the first restriction site, and preferably less than about 1 ,100 bp downstream of the first restriction site. The restriction sites may be the recognition sites for virtually any restriction endonuclease. It is preferred, however, that each site be unique. In order to ensure that the mutated gene fragment is cloned into the restriction sites having the correct orientation (i.e. can be "force-cloned"), it is particularly preferred that the enzyme recognizes different base pair sequences, and that the first restriction site and the second restriction site be differing base pair sequences, although recognized by the same enzyme. Numerous enzymes are known to have this characteristic, including Bsml. The second replacement vector according to this invention comprises any viral DNA which was originally encoded in the first starting vector, but is not present in the first replacement vector, along with sufficient overlapping sequences so that homologous recombination can occur. The remaining vectors in the set of vectors according to this invention may be any vectors, such that when the complete set of vectors is co-transfected into host cells, they are able to recombine to form a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, a set of starting vectors to be used are the five cosmids: cos28, cos6, cos 14, cos48, and cos56, which were obtained from Dr. Andrew J. Davison. These cosmids and/or their equivalents can be made according to the description given in Cunningham and Davison, Virology 197: 1 16- 124 (1993), which is hereby incorporated by reference. In one embodiment of this invention, the protease gene is to be mutated. Here, one of the cosmids of the Cunningham and Davison system, cosmid cos28, containing DNA encoding the protease and its substrate (the assembly protein ICP-35) on the overlapping genes (UL26 and UL26.5) is replaced by two novel overlapping replacement vectors, both of which are further aspects of this invention. This is diagrammed in Figure 3B. The first replacement vector should carry a copy of the HSV-1 protease gene which has at least two restriction sites that have been defined, according to the considerations mentioned above. One preferred restriction enzyme is BsmI, a degenerate restriction endonuclease with a recognition sequence of G A ATGΛCN Λ (SEQ.ID.NO.:3). In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the first replacement vector is plasmid pR700 or a plasmid carrying the same inserts as pR700. Plasmid pR700, was made from the commercially available plasmid pGEM-4Z (Promega Corp., Madison, WI), and contains the UL26 protease gene in a 13.3 kb insert of HSV- 1 (base pairs 44440-57747). Plasmid pR700 also contains two naturally occurring BsmI sites, a first one 82 base pairs 5' of the HSV-1 protease start site and one at amino acid 348 of the protease. The "N" at the 5' BsmI site is "T" whereas at the 3' BsmI site, the "N" is "G", so that the mutant PCR fragments may be force-cloned into the vector. PCR mutagenesis of this 1.1 kb BsmI fragment was used to introduce various desired mutations into the HSV-1 protease gene fragment A preferred second replacement vector according to this invention is plasmid pR710, (or a plasmid carrying the same inserts as pR710) which is derived from commercially available plasmid pNEB93 (New England Biolabs Beverly, MA). Plasmid pR710 contains a 24.7 kb insert of HSV-1 (base pairs 24699-49435) that does not include the HSV-1 protease. The two replacement plasmids and four remaining starting vectors, which together make up a further aspect of this invention, are introduced into HSV-1 host cells. The HSV-1 host cell chosen is generally not a critical aspect of this invention. Generally, any cell in which HSV-1 can replicate is an appropriate host cell. Particularly preferred host cells are Vero cells. DNA which is replicated during the virus life cycle homologously recombines in the host cells to create the mutant HSV-1 viruses of this invention. This is illustrated in Figure 3. The mutagenesis method of this invention allows one to make the desired HSV-1 mutations in the virus in a short period of time, i.e. within about 2 weeks. It has the further advantage that pure mutant virus cultures are generated; there are no wild type background viruses in the transfections of Vero cells. In creating the mutant gene fragments of this invention, virtually any known method of synthesizing and mutating DNA may be used. PCR mutagenesis is a preferred method. In performing the PCR mutagenesis of the target DNA, standard PCR techniques may be used in general, such as those described in H. Russell, 1990 "Recombinant PCR" in PCR Protocols (Innis, et al., Eds.) Academic Press, Inc. San Diego, CA, pages 177-183, which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, since HSV-1 DNA is quite GC rich and if the region which is to be mutated is also high in GC content (as is the case with the protease gene) it is preferred that a higher than usual melting temperature be employed during the PCR cycle, preferably at least about 99°C to maximize product formation. A second consideration with PCR mutagenesis in general is maintaining fidelity. While any suitable polymerase enzyme may be employed, VentR DNA polymerase (commercially available from New England Biolabs) is a preferred polymerase for the PCR reactions used herein because of its proofreading ability and thermal stability at 99°C. Virtually any mutation which is desired may be introduced using the PCR mutagenesis method. For instance, in order to obtain viruses which have altered phenotypes, it is desirable to change an amino acid sequence. Further type of mutations which are preferred are those which introduce new restriction endonuclease recognition sites. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the mutation procedure of this invention, the following mutant viruses were made. These viruses are the subject of co-pending patent application Serial No. ( Attorney Docket Number 19457), filed herewith, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Throughout the specification and claims, the virus nomenclature is the same as that used for the replacement plasmid containing the mutation, except that the virus uses the prefix "V" and the replacement plasmid uses "pR". TABLE 1 Representative protease mutants * restriction endonuclease site **back mutation of V713 The active site serine of HSV- 1 protease has been previously identified by chemical mutation methods to be Serl29. Therefore, changes of amino acids at the active serine site and near the active serine site were of particular interest. Mutations At Ser 129: A mutation was made in HSV-1 protease gene to change the protease amino acid 129 Ser to Alal29. This virus is designated V713. Recombinant virus could only be rescued on a host range cell line, PHS-23 which expresses protease. When V713 was used to super-infect Vero cells, the Western analysis showed an accumulation of the 80 kD protease (Pra) along with several other peptides ranging in molecular weight from 29 kD to 75 kD. A 24 kD band seen in wild-type infections was absent. Mutation At Leu 125 V717 contains a mutation of Leu 125 to Val 125. This virus did not grow on Vero cells at 31°, 34°, 37°, or 39°C, and showed no protease activity using Western blots at 20 hours after infection. A light 27 kD No protease band was observed in the Western analysis. This band may reflect protease formed via recombination or carried over from the host range cell line PHS-23 during propagation of the virus. Mutations At Pro 126 V718 contains a mutation of Pro 126 to Gly 126. This virus did not grow on Vero cells at 31 °, 34°, 37°, or 39°C, but after 20 hours, substantial processing of the 80 kD protease (Pra) occurred. However, even extended incubation for 7 days failed to produce plaques. The inability of the virus to replicate may reflect a requirement for proper structural assembly of the capsid. While not wishing to be bound by theory, this may result from the protease activity not being properly synchronized with the replication cycle, i.e. the protease may be cutting itself in the cytoplasm, or that the protease activity observed in this mutant is insufficient to digest all of the assembly protein within the capsid. If so, then the intact ICP-35 protein that is retained within the capsid may block DNA packaging. Mutations At His 148 Mutations which changed the histidine at position 148 were mixed. Changing this amino acid to Ala (V712) resulted in a small plaque phenotype and Western analysis showed a reduction in protease activity. This result was unexpected because in the prior art, the protease gene having the same mutation, but not contained within the virus showed no protease activity in in vitro assays. (Liu et al., 1992 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 89:2076-2080 and Deckman et al, J. Virology 66:7362-7367, both of which are incorporated by reference). While not wishing to be bound by theory, this surprising result may be due to a difference in the three dimensional structure of the protein within the virus environment, or the presence of a hitherto unknown accessory protein which lends activity to the protease. Viruses V716 (Hisl48 to Tyrl48) V725 (Hisl48 to Argl48) V729 (Hisl48 to Lys 148) were not viable on Vero cells, but each exhibited a different level of protease activity. V729 showed no protease activity by western blot analysis; V716 had greater than 50% protease activity, and V725 exhibited wild-type activity against Pra, but did not process ICP-35. Mutations At His 61 Three mutations at Histidine 61 to Val 61 (V71 1), Tyr 61 (V715), and Ala 61 (V730) all created null mutant viruses and in Western analysis had the same extra bands as the V713 mutant. Taken with the observations of the His 148 mutations, the results suggest that His61 is required for protease activity, whereas His 148 is not. The following non-limiting Examples are presented to better illustrate the invention. EXAMPLES GENERAL METHODS Viral Strains Two strains of viruses were used, HSV-1 strain 17 [designated HSV- 1(17)] and HSV-1 strain F [designated HSV- 1(F)]. Mutations to the protease have been made in HSV- 1(F) (see Liu et al., 1991, J. Virol. 65: 5149-5156, hereby incorporated by reference) and temperature sensitive mutants have been isolated in HSV-107) (see Preston, V. et al., 1983, 7. Virol. 45: 1056-1064, hereby incorporated by reference. Sequence analysis of the BsmI fragment revealed that the two strains differ by two amino acids (Leu300/Ser300 and Ser301/Pro301) and six silent mutations (in Prol5, Arg46, Gly84, Gln90, Glyl99 and His341). To make an equivalent comparison of in vitro and in vivo studies, a protease chimera (pR731) was made. Plasmid pRHS2, containing the HSV- 1(F) protease was digested with BsmI and the 1.1 kb fragment was cloned into pR700 containing HSV-1(17) protease. Both viruses were equivalent in virus titer and plaque moφhology on Vero cells. PCR mutagenesis Four oligonucleotides and a DNA template were amplified in two rounds of PCR to create a variety of mutated DNA fragments that were subsequently cloned into the plasmid vector pR700 and used to create the mutant viruses. The first round of PCR mutagenesis was carried out in two separate reactions. In one reaction, a positive strand oligonucleotide homologous to the DNA 5' to the first BsmI site, was paired with the negative strand oligonucleotide specified below. In the other reaction, a negative strand oligonucleotide homologous to the DNA 3' to the second BsmI site was paired with the positive strand oligonucleotide specified. The two specified oligonucleotides are complementary to each other, mutate the same amino acid residue, and most, but not all, concurrently introduce a new restriction endonuclease site. The specified DNA template (from pR700, pRHS2, or V713, below) was added to both reaction mixtures and PCR amplification initiated. In the second round of the procedure, the DNA fragments generated by the first round PCR reactions were gel purified and mixed together with oligonucleotides flanking the BsmI sites (SEQ.ID.NOS.: 4 and 5, below) and subjected to PCR amplification. PCR mutagenesis was performed with VentR DNA polymerase (New England Biolabs) in a DNA thermal cycler from Perkin Elmer Cetus. The cycle was melt for 1 minute at 99°C; anneal at 40°C for 2 minutes; extend at 71°C for 3 minutes; for 30 cycles. The product of the second round PCR reaction and extended BsmI fragment, was digested with BsmI, gel purified, and ligated into the BsmI sites of pR700. Oligonucleotides used for mutagenesis: Unless otherwise noted, all were obtained from Midland Certified Reagent Co., Midland, TX (in each pair the plus strand oligo is listed first): 5' and 3' oligonucleotides flanking the two BsmI cloning sites: 5'-GTACTCAAAAGGTCATAC-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:4) (This oligo is 5' to the first BsmI site and was used for the generation of all mutations in the protease from amino acid 1 to 348). 5'-GGGAAACCAAACGCGGAATG-3' (SEQ,ID.NO.:5) (This oligo is 3' to the second BsmI site and was used in generation of mutations in the protease from amino acids 1 to 348.) Oligonucleotides for the temperature sensitive protease mutant (pR701 ): 5-GATACGGTGCGGGCAGTACTGCCTCCGGAT-3' (SEQ.LD.NO..-6) 5-ATCCGGAGGCAGTACTGCCCGCACCGTATC-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:7) These oligos add a SacI site to the Ala48 to Val48 mutation. Oligonucleotides for the temperature sensitive protease mutant (pR701): 5 , . TTTGGCGCTCTTCGACAGCGGGGAC -3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:8) 5'-GTCCCCGCTGTCGAAGAGCGCCAAAAA-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:9) These oligos add a Sapl site at the Thr30 to Phe30 mutation. Linker oligonucleotides (BspHI-PacI-Hindlll) for pR710: 5'-CATGATTAATTA-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.: 10) 5'-AGCTTAATTAAT-3 * (SEQ.ID.NO.: l 1 ) Oligonucleotides used for the Hisόl to Val61 mutation for pR711 construct: 5'-CCCACTCCCGATTAACGTGGACGTCCGCGCTGGCTGCGA- GGTG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:12) 5'- CCTCGCAGCCAGCGCGGACGTCCACGTTAATCGGGAGTGGG- 3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:13) This also adds an Aatll restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the His 148 to Ala 148 mutation for pR712: 5'- CCCCGATCGCACGCTGTTCGCTGCAGTCGCGCTGTGCGCGA- TCGGGCGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:14) 5'- GATCGCGCACAGCGCGACTGCAGCGAACAGCGTGCGATCG- GGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:15) This also adds a PstI restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the Ser 129 to Ala 129 mutation for pR713: 5'- CACCAACTACCTGCCCTCGGTCGCGCTAGCCACAAAACGC- CTGGGGGG-3 * (SEQ.ID.NO.:16) 5'-CAGGCGTTTTGTGGCTAGCGCGACCGAGGGCAGGTAGT- TG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:17) This also adds a Nhel restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the Serl29 to Alal29 mutation for pR714: 5'- CCAACTACCTGCCCTCGGTCGCCCTGGCCACAAAACGCCTG- GGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:18) 5'-GCCAGGGCGACCGAGGG-3 (SEQ,ID.NO.: 19) Oligonucleotides used for the His61 to Tyrol mutation for pR715: 5'- CCCACTCCCGATTAACGTGGACTACCGCGCTGGCTGCGAG- GTG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:20) 5 ' -CGCGGTAGTCC ACGTT A-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO. :21 ) Oligonucleotides used for the His 148 to Tyr 148 mutation for pR716: 5'- CCCCGATCGCACGCTGTTCGCGTACGTCGCGCTGTGCGCGA- TCGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:22) 5'-GCGACGTACGCGAACAGC-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:23) Oligonucleotides used for the Leu 125 to Val 125 mutation for pR717: 5'-CACCAACTACGTGCCCTCGGTCTCCCTG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:24) 5'-CCGAGGGCACGTAGTTGGTGATCAGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:25) This also adds a BsaAI restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the Pro 126 to Gly 126 mutation for pR718: 5 '-CAACTACCTGGGCTCGGTCTCCCTGGCC-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:26) 5'-GAGACCGAGCCCAGGTAGTTGGTGATCAG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:27) This also adds a BstXI restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the His 148 to Arg 148 mutation for pR725: 5 '-CGCTGTTCGCACGCGTCGCGCTGTGCGCG ATCG-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:28) 5'-CAGCGCGACGCGTGCGAACAGCGTGCGATCGGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:29) This also adds a Mull restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the His 148 to Glu 148 mutation for pR728: 5 '-CTGTTCGCGGAAGTAGCGCTGTGCGCGATCGG-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:30) 5 '-CGCACAGCGCTACTTCCGCG AACAGCGTGCGATCGGG-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:31) This also adds a Eco47III restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the His 148 to Lys 148 mutation for pR729: 5'-CGCTGTTCGCCAAGGTCGCGCTGTGCGCGATCG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:32) 5 ' -CACAGCGCG ACCTTGGCG AAC AGCGTGCG ATCGGG-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:33) This also adds a Styl restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the His61 to Ala61 mutation for pR730: 5'-CCGATTAACGTTGACGCCCGCGCTGGCTGCGAGGTGGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:34) 5 ' -CAGCC AGCGCGGGCGTCA ACG TTAATCGGG AGTGGG-3 ' (SEQ.ID.NO.:35) This also adds a Psp 14061 restriction site. Oligonucleotides used for the Ala 129 to Ser 129 back mutation for pR732 : 5 -CCTGCCCTCGGTAAGCTTGGCCACAAAACGCCTGG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:36) 5'-GGCGTTTTGTGGCCAAGCTTACCGAGGGCAGGTAG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:37) This also adds a Hindlll restriction site. Constructs: Plasmids derived from HSV- 1 (F) : pRHSl : This plasmid contains HSV- 1(F) DNA base pairs 44590- 54473, starting within the UL22 gene and ending within UL28. This was made by digesting HSV-1 (F) DNA with Xbal and Seal. The 9884 base pair fragment was gel purified and subcloned into pGEM- 7Zf(-) (Promega) at the Xbal and Smal sites. pRHS2: This plasmid contains HSV- 1(F) DNA base pairs 49126- 53272, starting within UL25 and ending within UL27. To prepare this plasmid, pRHSl was digested with NotI and Nhe, and the 4148 base pair fragment was subcloned into the pGEM-7Zf(-) vector at the Bspl20I and Xbal sites. This clone was used for the creation of the host range cell line and pR711 , pR712, pR713, pR714, pR715, pR716, pR725, pR728, pR729 and pR730. pR731 : pRHS-2 was digested with BsmI, and the 1.1 kb fragment was then subcloned into the BsmI sites of pR700. This created a F strain protease in the 17 strain virus. pR732: V713 virus DNA was digested with NotI and the 6.5 kb fragment containing the HSV-1 protease was gel purified. This fragment was used as a template for PCR to back-mutate the Serl29 to Alal29 back to Ser. The back mutation also created a new Hindlll site. The back mutation was performed to demonstrate that the mutant phenotypes observed for the various mutants of this invention were due to the mutagenesis process, and were not artifacts of the transfection procedure. Plasmids derived from HSV-1 (17): pR700: This plasmid contains HSV-1(17) DNA base pairs 44440- 57747, starting with UL22 and ending with UL28. To prepare, HSV-1 cos-28 was digested with StuI and Ndel, the 13,308 base pair fragment was gel purified and ligated into pGEM-4Z (Promega) at the Ndel and Smal sites. This plasmid was use for both generation and sub-cloning of mutants pR701 , pR717 and pR718 into the BsmI sites. pR710: This plasmid contains HSV- 1(17) DNA base pairs 24699- 49435, starting between UL10/UL1 1 and ending within UL25. Cos 28 was digested with Pad and BspHI and the resulting 24,736 bp fragment was subcloned with two linker oligonucleotides (SEQ.ID. NOS 10 & 1 1) containing BspHI -Pacl-Hindπi into the Pacl/Hindϋl sites of New England Biolabs vector pNEB93. pR701 : HSV-1 temperature sensitive mutant was created from pR700 by PCR mutagenesis. It has a Thr30 to Phe30 mutation which contains a Sapl site and an Ala 48 to Val 48 mutation containing a new Seal site. Sequencing Sequencing reactions were done using a Sequenase® Quick Denature Plasmid Sequencing kit (United States Biochemical) according to the manufacturer's instructions. S-35 dATP was obtained from Amersham. Host Range Cell Line PHS-23 Expressing Protease. pRHS2 was co-transfected with pSVNeo (Southern and Berg, 1982, J. Mol. Appl. Genet. 1 :327-341) into Vero cells and cultured in 800μg/ml of G418 sulfate (GIBCO). Drug resistant cell lines were screened for the ability to complement the temperature sensitive protease virus, V701 , at 39°C. Digests Prior to transfection, cosmid DNA and pR710 were digested with Pad. Plasmids pR700, pR701 , pR71 1 , pR712, pR713, pR714, pR715, pR716, pR717, pR718, pR725, pR728, pR729, pR730, and pR731 were digested with Hindlll and Ndel, while pR732 was digested with Xbal. The digested DNA was precipitated in 2M final NH4OAC pH 7.5, and 2 volumes of isopropanol, centrifuged 10 minutes then washed in 70% ethanol and dried. The DNA was re-suspended in lOmM Tris, ImM EDTA pH 7.8. Restriction endonucleases were purchased from New England Biolabs and Promega (Madison, WI). Western Blots 12% SDS-PAGE gels were transferred to Immobilon-P (Millipore, Bedford, MA) and blocked in phosphate buffered saline, 2% bovine fetal calf serum (FCS) (Hyclone Laboratories, Logan, UT) 2% nonfat dry milk, and 0.1 % Tween-20. A peptide made to correspond to the N-terminus of the protease, DAPGDRMEEPLPDRAC-NH2 (SEQ.ID.NO.:39) was conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and was used to generate a polyclonal rabbit antibody (Multiple Peptide Systems, San Diego, CA). The second antibody was Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L) alkaline phosphatase conjugate (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). The Western blots were developed with an alkaline phosphatase conjugate substrate kit from Bio Rad or a with a ECL kit from Amersham. Southern Blots Viral DNA was digested with the restriction endonuclease corresponding to those sites which were added at the site of mutation. Agarose gels were transferred to Zeta Probe (Millipore) in 0.4M NaOH, and hybridized at room temperature with P-32 kinased oligonucleotides (below) in 5 X SSC, 20 mM Na2HP04 pH 7.2, 7% SDS, 1 X Denhardts and 100 μg/ml herring sperm DNA for two hours, then washed in 5X SSC, 50°C for four changes, each for 15 minutes. Oligonucleotides used to probe Southerns: SH-2 5'-CGTATCCGGATCCAATG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:39) SH-10 5'-GTTAACAACATGATGCTG-3' (SEQ.ID.NO.:40) Transfections Vero or PHS-23 cells were plated at 3 x 10^ cells per well in six well clusters the day before transfection. The following day the cells were washed in Delbeco's Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) (from GIBCO, Gaithersburg, MD) without FCS and then 1 ml of transfection cocktail was added. Transfection cocktail was made as follows. To lOOμl of DMEM media, 0.5μg of digested DNA was added, followed by 14μl of LiptofectAMLNE™ (GIBCO). This transfection mixture was incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature, then 900μl of DMEM was added. The cells (90% confluent) were washed twice with DMEM without FCS and then the one ml of transfection mixture was added. The transfection was incubated for 18 hours at 37°C, 5% C02- Transfected cells were then washed and fresh media, DMEM, 4% FCS, 100 units/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin, was added. At day six or seven the recombinant viruses were harvested and the virus was plaque purified. Plaque Purification. After transfection, the cells were scraped off the plates and were either frozen and thawed three times, or sonicated. Serial dilutions 1 : 10, 1 : 100, 1 : 1000, 1 : 10,000, 1 : 100,000, and 1 :1 ,000,000 were done in DMEM. Cells in six well clusters were incubated with 0.5 ml of each dilution, and were rocked every 15 minutes for two hours. The cells were then over-layed with 0.5% agarose, DMEM without phenol red, and 10% FCS and incubated at 37°C in 5% C02 for three to five days. Plaques were picked with a cotton-plugged sterile Pasteur pipette by piercing the agarose and lifting a plug containing the recombinant virus. The plug was placed in a sterile eppendorf tube containing 0.5 ml of DMEM and 20% FCS. The plaque was sonicated and then repurified as described. Recombinant virus expansion After plaque purification the virus was expanded on Vero cells, or if the mutant was a null mutant, it was expanded on the host range cell line PHS-23 which expresses protease. Virus titers Expanded virus stocks were titered on Vero and PHS-23 cells. Serial dilutions 1 : 10, 1 :100, 1 : 1000, 1 :10,000, 1:100,000, and 1 : 1 ,000,000 were done in DMEM. Six well clusters were then infected with 0.5 ml of each dilution, rocked every 15 minutes, and adsorbed for 2 hours at 37°C. The cells were then fed with DMEM, 4% FCS and 0.16% human IgG. (Armour, Kankakee, IL). Two to six days later the cells were fixed in 1 ml of methanol for 7 minutes and then air dried. Fixed cells were stained with Gemsa stain for 45 minutes, washed with water and dried. The plaques were then counted under a microscope. Virus DNA Mini Preps Mini preps of virus DNA were made as follows: a T-225 flask of Vero or pHS23 cells was infected at a MOI of 5 and harvested at 18 hours post infection. Cells were pelleted and then washed in PBS three times. The cells were re-suspended in 400μl lOmM Tris pH 8.0, 5mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA and incubated on ice for 10 minutes. NP-40 was added to a final concentration of 1 % and incubated for ten minutes on ice. The nuclei were pelleted at 10,000 x g for 15 minutes. The resulting supernatant solution was incubated with proteinase K (Boehringer Mannheim, Indianopolis, IN) 100 μg/ml at 37 °C overnight. DNA was extracted twice with phenol and once with chloroform and precipitated. EXAMPLE 2 In order to test the mutagenesis process of this invention, the temperature sensitive mutation described by Preston et al ., 1983 J. Virol. 45: 1056-1064, which is hereby incoφorated by reference, was made. This required the introduction of two amino acid changes. Four separate transfections were done. Vero or host range cell line PHS-23, were plated at approximately 3.0 x 10^ cells per well in six well clusters. This resulted in a cell density of 80- 90% the following day. The cells were washed in DMEM without FCS just prior to transfection. The transfection mix was then added to the cells and incubated for 18 hours at 37°C. The cells were washed IX and 3 ml of DMEM with 4% FCS was added. At day six or seven, plaques were observed and recombinant virus was harvested. Each transfection gave rise to 50 or more plaques five to six days post transfection. Recombinant virus was titered on both Vero and PHS-23 cell lines. A minimum of four plaques were picked per transfection, all of the isolates grew and plaqued similarly. Table 2 shows the titer of both wild type HSV-1 (17) from one of the temperature sensitive (ts) mutant isolates on Vero and PHS-23 cells at 31°C and 39°C. TABLE 2. HSV-1 Temperature Sensitive Protease Mutants V701 and HSV-1 titer on Host Range And Vero Cells HOST CELL LINE VIRUS TEMP°C TITER (pfu) Vero V701 31 6.2 x 105 Vero V701 39 1.2 x 102 Vero HSV-1(17) 31 1.0 x 107 Vero HSV-K17) 39 2.1 x 107 PHS-23 V701 31 1.3 x 106 PHS-23 V701 39 1.0 x 106 PHS-23 HSV-1(17) 31 2.5 x 107 PHS-23 HSV- 1(17) 39 1.0 x 107 SE UENCE LISTING (1) GENERAL INFORMATION: (i) APPLICAN : MERCK & CO. , INC. Register, Robert B. Shafer, Jules A. (ii) TITLE OF INVENTION: METHOD OF MAKING HERPES SIMPLEX TYPE 1 MUTANTS AND MUTANTS SO PRODUCED (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 40 (iv) CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS: (A) ADDRESSEE: Ms. Joanne M. Giesser (B) STREET: 126 East Lincoln Avenue, P.O. Box 2000-0907 (C) CITY: Rahway (D) STATE: New Jersey (E) COUNTRY: US (F) ZIP: 07065-0907 (v) COMPUTER READABLE FORM: (A) MEDIUM TYPE: Floppy disk (B) COMPUTER: IBM PC compatible (C) OPERATING SYSTEM: PC-DOS/MS-DOS (D) SOFTWARE: Patentin Release #1.0, Version #1.30 (vi) CURRENT APPLICATION DATA: (A) APPLICATION NUMBER: (B) FILING DATE: (C) CLASSIFICATION: (viii) ATTORNEY/AGENT INFORMATION: (A) NAME: Giesser, Joanne M. (B) REGISTRATION NUMBER: 32,838 (C) REFERENCE/DOCKET NUMBER: 19458 PCT (ix) TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION: (A) TELEPHONE: (908) 594-3046 (B) TELEFAX: (908) 594-4720 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 1050 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: CDS (B) LOCATION: 1..1050 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1: ATG GCA GCC GAT GCC CCG GGA GAC CGG ATG GAG GAG CCC CTG CCA GAC 48 Met Ala Ala Asp Ala Pro Gly Asp Arg Met Glu Glu Pro Leu Pro Asp 1 5 10 15 AGG GCC GTG CCC ATT TAC GTG GCT GGG TTT TTG GCC CTG TAT GAC AGC 96 Arg Ala Val Pro lie Tyr Val Ala Gly Phe Leu Ala Leu Tyr Asp Ser 20 25 30 GGG GAC TCG GGC GAG TTG GCA TTG GAT CCG GAT ACG GTG CGT GCG GCC 144 Gly Asp Ser Gly Glu Leu Ala Leu Asp Pro Asp Thr Val Arg Ala Ala 35 40 45 CTG CCT CCG GAT AAC CCA CTC CCG ATT AAC GTG GAC CAC CGC GCT GGC 192 Leu Pro Pro Asp Asn Pro Leu Pro lie Asn Val Asp His Arg Ala Gly 50 55 60 TGC GAG GTG GGG CGG GTG CTG GCC GTG GTC GAC GAC CCC CGC GGG CCG 240 Cys Glu Val Gly Arg Val Leu Ala Val Val Asp Asp Pro Arg Gly Pro 65 70 75 80 TTT TTT GTG GGA CTG ATC GCC TGC GTG CAA CTG GAG CGC GTC CTC GAG 288 Phe Phe Val Gly Leu He Ala Cys Val Gin Leu Glu Arg Val Leu Glu 85 90 95 ACG GCC GCC AGC GCT GCG ATT TTC GAG CGC CGC GGG CCG CCG CTC TCC 336 Thr Ala Ala Ser Ala Ala He Phe Glu Arg Arg Gly Pro Pro Leu Ser 100 105 110 CGG GAG GAG CGC CTG TTG TAC CTG ATC ACC AAC TAC CTG CCC TCG GTC 384 Arg Glu Glu Arg Leu Leu Tyr Leu He Thr Asn Tyr Leu Pro Ser Val 115 120 125 TCC CTG GCC ACA AAA CGC CTG GGG GGC GAG GCG CAC CCC GAT CGC ACG 432 Ser Leu Ala Thr Lys Arg Leu Gly Gly Glu Ala His Pro Asp Arg Thr 130 135 140 CTG TTC GCG CAC GTC GCG CTG TGC GCG ATC GGG CGG CGC CTC GGC ACT 480 Leu Phe Ala His Val Ala Leu Cys Ala He Gly Arg Arg Leu Gly Thr 145 150 155 160 ATC GTC ACC TAC GAC ACC GGT CTC GAC GCC GCC ATC GCG CCC TTT CGC 528 He Val Thr Tyr Asp Thr Gly Leu Asp Ala Ala He Ala Pro Phe Arg 165 170 175 CAC CTG TCG CCG GCG TCT CGC GAG GGG GCG CGG CGA CTG GCC GCC GAG 576 His Leu Ser Pro Ala Ser Arg Glu Gly Ala Arg Arg Leu Ala Ala Glu 180 185 190 GCC GAG CTC GCG CTG TCC GGA CGC ACC TGG GCG CCC GGC GTG GAG GCG 624 Ala Glu Leu Ala Leu Ser Gly Arg Thr Trp Ala Pro Gly Val Glu Ala 195 200 205 CTG ACC CAC ACG CTG CTT TCC ACC GCC GTT AAC AAC ATG ATG CTG CGG 672 Leu Thr His Thr Leu Leu Ser Thr Ala Val Asn Asn Met Met Leu Arg 210 215 220 GAC CGC TGG AGC CTG GTG GCC GAG CGG CGG CGG CAG GCC GGG ATC GCC 720 Asp Arg Trp Ser Leu Val Ala Glu Arg Arg Arg Gin Ala Gly He Ala 225 230 235 240 GGA CAC ACC TAC CTC CAG GCG AGC GAA AAA TTC AAA ATG TGG GGG GCG 768 Gly His Thr Tyr Leu Gin Ala Ser Glu Lys Phe Lys Met Trp Gly Ala 245 250 255 GAG CCT GTT TCC GCG CCG GCG CGC GGG TAT AAG AAC GGG GCC CCG GAG 816 Glu Pro Val Ser Ala Pro Ala Arg Gly Tyr Lys Asn Gly Ala Pro Glu 260 265 270 TCC ACG GAC ATA CCG CCC GGC TCG ATC GCT GCC GCG CCG CAG GGT GAC 864 Ser Thr Asp He Pro Pro Gly Ser He Ala Ala Ala Pro Gin Gly Asp 275 280 285 CGG TGC CCA ATC GTC CGT CAG CGC GGG GTC GCC TCG CCC CCG GTA CTG 912 Arg Cys Pro He Val Arg Gin Arg Gly Val Ala Ser Pro Pro Val Leu 290 295 300 CCC CCC ATG AAC CCC GTT CCG ACA TCG GGC ACC CCG GCC CCC GCG CCG 960 Pro Pro Met Asn Pro Val Pro Thr Ser Gly Thr Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro 305 310 315 320 CCC GGC GAC GGG AGC TAC CTG TGG ATC CCG GCC TCC CAT TAC AAC CAG 1008 Pro Gly Asp Gly Ser Tyr Leu Trp He Pro Ala Ser His Tyr Asn Gin 325 330 335 CTC GTC GCC GGC CAC GCC GCG CCC CAA CCC CAG CCG CAT TCC 1050 Leu Val Ala Gly His Ala Ala Pro Gin Pro Gin Pro His Ser 340 345 350 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 350 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2 : Met Ala Ala Asp Ala Pro Gly Asp Arg Met Glu Glu Pro Leu Pro Asp 1 5 10 ' 15 Arg Ala Val Pro He Tyr Val Ala Gly Phe Leu Ala Leu Tyr Asp Ser 20 25 30 Gly Asp Ser Gly Glu Leu Ala Leu Asp Pro Asp Thr Val Arg Ala Ala 35 40 45 Leu Pro Pro Asp Asn Pro Leu Pro He Asn Val Asp His Arg Ala Gly 50 55 60 Cys Glu Val Gly Arg Val Leu Ala Val Val Asp Asp Pro Arg Gly Pro 65 70 75 80 Phe Phe Val Gly Leu He Ala Cys Val Gin Leu Glu Arg Val Leu Glu 85 90 95 Thr Ala Ala Ser Ala Ala He Phe Glu Arg Arg Gly Pro Pro Leu Ser 100 105 110 Arg Glu Glu Arg Leu Leu Tyr Leu He Thr Asn Tyr Leu Pro Ser Val 115 120 125 Ser Leu Ala Thr Lys Arg Leu Gly Gly Glu Ala His Pro Asp Arg Thr 130 135 140 Leu Phe Ala His Val Ala Leu Cys Ala He Gly Arg Arg Leu Gly Thr 145 150 155 160 He Val Thr Tyr Asp Thr Gly Leu Asp Ala Ala He Ala Pro Phe Arg 165 170 175 His Leu Ser Pro Ala Ser Arg Glu Gly Ala Arg Arg Leu Ala Ala Glu 180 185 190 Ala Glu Leu Ala Leu Ser Gly Arg Thr Trp Ala Pro Gly Val Glu Ala 195 200 205 Leu Thr His Thr Leu Leu Ser Thr Ala Val Asn Asn Met Met Leu Arg 210 215 220 Asp Arg Trp Ser Leu Val Ala Glu Arg Arg Arg Gin Ala Gly He Ala 225 230 235 240 Gly His Thr Tyr Leu Gin Ala Ser Glu Lys Phe Lys Met Trp Gly Ala 245 250 255 Glu Pro Val Ser Ala Pro Ala Arg Gly Tyr Lys Asn Gly Ala Pro Glu 260 265 270 Ser Thr Asp He Pro Pro Gly Ser He Ala Ala Ala Pro Gin Gly Asp 275 280 285 Arg Cys Pro He Val Arg Gin Arg Gly Val Ala Ser Pro Pro Val Leu 290 295 300 Pro Pro Met Asn Pro Val Pro Thr Ser Gly Thr Pro Ala Pro Ala Pro 305 310 315 320 Pro Gly Asp Gly Ser Tyr Leu Trp He Pro Ala Ser His Tyr Asn Gin 325 330 335 Leu Val Ala Gly His Ala Ala Pro Gin Pro Gin Pro His Ser 340 345 350 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3 : (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 7 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:3 : GAATGCN (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 18 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO ( i) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:4 : GTACTCAAAA GGTCATAC 18 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 20 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single . (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO ( iv) ANTI -SENSE : NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:5: GGGAAACCAA ACGCGGAATG 20 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 30 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 6 : GATACGGTGC GGGCAGTACT GCCTCCGGAT 30 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7 : (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 30 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:7 : ATCCGGAGGC AGTACTGCCC GCACCGTATC 30 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:8: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 27 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:8: TTTTTGGCGC TCTTCGACAG CGGGGAC 27 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:9: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 27 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:9 : GTCCCCGCTG TCGAAGAGCG CCAAAAA 27 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:10: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 12 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:10: CATGATTAAT TA 12 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 11: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 12 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:11: AGCTTAATTA AT 12 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:12: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 43 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:12: CCCACTCCCG ATTAACGTGG ACGTCCGCGC TGGCTGCGAG GTG 43 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:13: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 41 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:13: CCTCGCAGCC AGCGCGGACG TCCACGTTAA TCGGGAGTGG G 41 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 14: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 49 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:14: CCCCGATCGC ACGCTGTTCG CTGCAGTCGC GCTGTGCGCG ATCGGGCGG 49 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:15: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 43 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 15: GATCGCGCAC AGCGCGACTG CAGCGAACAG CGTGCGATCG GGG 43 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:16: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 48 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO ( i) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 16: CACCAACTAC CTGCCCTCGG TCGCGCTAGC CACAAAACGC CTGGGGGG 48 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 17: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 40 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:17: CAGGCGTTTT GTGGCTAGCG CGACCGAGGG CAGGTAGTTG 40 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:18: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 44 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:18: CCAACTACCT GCCCTCGGTC GCCCTGGCCA CAAAACGCCT GGGG 44 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:19: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 17 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 19: GCCAGGGCGA CCGAGGG 17 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:20: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 43 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:20: CCCACTCCCG ATTAACGTGG ACTACCGCGC TGGCTGCGAG GTG 43 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:21: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 17 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:21: CGCGGTAGTC CACGTTA 17 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:22: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 45 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:22: CCCCGATCGC ACGCTGTTCG CGTACGTCGC GCTGTGCGCG ATCGG 45 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:23: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 18 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:23 GCGACGTACG CGAACAGC (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:24: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 28 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO-.24: CACCAACTAC GTGCCCTCGG TCTCCCTG 28 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:25: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 26 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:25: CCGAGGGCAC GTAGTTGGTG ATCAGG 26 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:26: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 28 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:26: CAACTACCTG GGCTCGGTCT CCCTGGCC 28 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:27: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 29 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:27: GAGACCGAGC CCAGGTAGTT GGTGATCAG 29 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:28: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 33 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:28: CGCTGTTCGC ACGCGTCGCG CTGTGCGCGA TCG 33 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:29: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 33 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:29: CAGCGCGACG CGTGCGAACA GCGTGCGATC GGG 33 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:30: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 32 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:30: CTGTTCGCGG AAGTAGCGCT GTGCGCGATC GG 32 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:31: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 37 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:31: CGCACAGCGC TACTTCCGCG AACAGCGTGC GATCGGG 37 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:32: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 33 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:32: CGCTGTTCGC CAAGGTCGCG CTGTGCGCGA TCG 33 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:33: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 35 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:33: CACAGCGCGA CCTTGGCGAA CAGCGTGCGA TCGGG 35 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:34: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 38 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:34: CCGATTAACG TTGACGCCCG CGCTGGCTGC GAGGTGGG 38 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:35: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 36 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:35: CAGCCAGCGC GGGCGTCAAC GTTAATCGGG AGTGGG 36 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:36: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 35 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:36: CCTGCCCTCG GTAAGCTTGG CCACAAAACG CCTGG 35 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:37: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 35 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:37: GGCGTTTTGT GGCCAAGCTT ACCGAGGGCA GGTAG 35 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:38: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 16 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: N-terminal (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:38: Asp Ala Pro Gly Asp Arg Met Glu Glu Pro Leu Pro Asp Arg Ala Cys 1 5 10 15 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:39: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 17 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:39: CGTATCCGGA TCCAATC 17 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:40: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 18 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO (iv) ANTI -SENSE: NO (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:40: GTTAACAACA TGATGCTG 18

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A method of making a mutated HSV-1 virus, wherein the mutation comprises a mutation selected from the group of: point mutations in a gene, an insertion of DNA, a deletion of DNA, and combinations thereof comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a section of the HSV-1 genome comprising the mutation and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one additional vector, so that upon transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA and recombination of viral DNA, a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. 2. A method of making an HSV-1 virus having a mutated gene comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a gene of HSV-1 which is to be mutated and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. 3. A method of making a mutated Heφe Simplex Type- 1 Virus (HSV-1 ) comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a set of starting vectors, each starting vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising DNA which is overlapping DNA with a sequential genomic fragment contained in other starting vectors, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed; (b) replacing a starting vector comprising a gene which is to be mutated with: a first replacement vector, the first replacement vector comprising a mutated gene and overlapping DNA; and at least one additional replacement vector comprising genomic DNA which was present in the replaced starting vector, but is not present in the first replacement vector and overlapping DNA; and (c) co-transfecting a host cell with the replacement vectors and the remaining starting vectors under conditions allowing replication of viral DNA and recombination of viral DNA to form a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. 4. A method according to Claim 3 wherein the first replacement vector is made by a process comprising: (a) creating a vector comprising a gene site which is to be mutated and overlapping DNA; (b) defining a first restriction endonuclease site in a position 5 ' to the gene site which is to be mutated; (c) defining a second restriction endonuclease site 3 ' of the first restriction site, to define a wild-type gene segment contained between the first and second restriction endonuclease sites; (d) creating a mutant gene segment substantially identical to the wild-type gene segment, except for comprising a desired mutation; and (e) replacing the wild-type gene segment with the mutant gene segment to obtain the first replacement vector. 5. A mutant virus which made by the method of Claim 4. 6. A method according to Claim 4 wherein the starting vectors are cosmids. 7. A method according to Claim 6 wherein the replacement vectors are plasmids. 8. A method according to Claim 7 wherein the first restriction site and the second restriction site are both recognized by the same restriction enzyme. 9. A method according to Claim 8 wherein the first restriction site and the second restriction site have different nucleotide sequences. 10. A method according to Claim 7 wherein the second restriction site is less than about 2,000 base pairs downstream of the first restriction site. 1 1. A method according to Claim 7 wherein the second restriction site is less than about 1 ,100 base pairs downstream of the first restriction site. 12. A method according to Claim 1 1 wherein the mutant gene segment is made by PCR mutagenesis. 13. A method according to Claim 12 wherein the mutant gene segment comprises a new restriction site. 14. A method according to Claim 4 wherein the starting vectors are chosen from the group of vectors consisting of: cos28, cos6, cos 14, cos48 and cos56. 15. A method of making an HSV-1 virus having a mutated protease gene comprising transforming a host cell with a set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a mutated protease gene and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a virus having a mutated protease gene and which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. 16. A method of making a mutated HSV-1 comprising a mutant viral protease comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a set of starting vectors, each starting vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV-1 genome and also comprising DNA which is overlapping DNA with a sequential genomic fragment contained in other starting vectors, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination, a virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed; (b) replacing a starting vector comprising a protease gene which is to be mutated with a first replacement vector, the first replacement vector comprising a mutated protease gene and overlapping DNA, and at least one additional replacement vector, comprising genomic DNA which was present in the replaced starting vector, but is not present in the first replacement vector along with overlapping DNA; and (c) co-transfecting a host cell with the replacement vectors and the remaining starting vectors under conditions allowing replication of viral DNA and recombination to form a mutated virus having a mutated protease gene and which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line. 17. A method according to Claim 16 wherein the first replacement vector is made by a process comprising: (a) creating a vector comprising a protease gene site which is to be mutated and overlapping DNA; (b) defining a first restriction endonuclease site in a position 5' to a protease gene site which is to be mutated; (c) defining a second restriction endonuclease site downstream of the first restriction site, to define a wild-type protease gene segment contained between the first and second restriction endonuclease sites; (d) creating a mutant protease gene segment substantially identical to the wild-type gene segment, except for comprising a desired mutation; and (e) replacing the wild-type protease gene segment with the mutant protease gene segment to obtain the first replacement vector. 18. A method according to Claim 17 wherein the starting vectors are cosmids. 19. A method according to Claim 18 wherein the replacement vectors are plasmids. 20. A method according to Claim 19 wherein the first restriction site and the second restriction site are both recognized by the same restriction enzyme. 21. A method according to Claim 20 wherein the first restriction site and the second restriction site have a different nucleotide sequence. 22. A method according to Claim 21 wherein the restriction sites are BsmI sites. 23. A method according to Claim 21 wherein the second restriction site is less than about 2,000 base pairs downstream of the first restriction site. 24. A method according to Claim 23 wherein the second restriction site is less than about 1,100 base pairs downstream of the first restriction site. 25. A method according to Claim 23 wherein the mutant gene segment is made by PCR mutagenesis. 26. A method according to Claim 25 wherein the mutant gene segment comprises a new restriction site. 27. A method according to Claim 16 wherein the starting vectors are chosen from the group of vectors consisting of: cos28, cos6, cos 14, cos48 and cos56. 28. A method according to Claim 27 wherein the replacement vectors replace cos28. 29 A method according to Claim 28 wherein the first replacement vector comprises a 13.3kb HSV-1 insert. 30. A method according to Claim 28 wherein the replacement vector is pR700. 31. A method according to Claim 28 wherein the additional replacement vector comprises a 24.7 kb insert. 32. A method according to Claim 31 wherein the additional replacement vector is pR710. 33. A set of vectors comprising: a first vector comprising a gene of HSV-1 which is mutated, and overlapping DNA homologous with overlapping DNA of at least one additional vector; and additional vectors, each additional vector comprising a fragment of the substantially complete HSV- 1 genome and also comprising overlapping DNA which is homologous with a sequential genomic fragment contained in at least one other additional vector, so that upon co-transfection of a host cell, replication of viral DNA, and recombination of viral DNA, a mutated virus which is replicable in a wild type or host range cell line is formed. 34. A host cell transformed with a set of vectors according to Claim 33. 35. A method according to Claim 1 wherein the mutation is an insertion of DNA and the first vector comprises DNA to be inserted. 36. A method according to Claim 1 wherein the mutation is a deletion of DNA and the first vector comprises DNA homologous to DNA flanking the DNA which is to be deleted.

Inventors: REGISTER R BRUCE, SHAFER JULES A, REGISTER, R., BRUCE, SHAFER, JULES, A.
Applicants: MERCK & CO INC, REGISTER R BRUCE, SHAFER JULES A, MERCK & CO., INC., REGISTER, R., BRUCE, SHAFER, JULES, A.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: C12N15
IPC codes: C12N9, C12N15