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Herpesvirus Type 2-induced Thymidine Kinase and Carcinoma of the Cervix¹

Department of Virology and Epidemiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77025 [W. E. R., G. C., E. A.], and Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center of the Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033 [T. O., R. D., F. R.]

Sera from patients with cervical cancer, matched control women, patients with cancers of other sites, and a group of laboratory personnel were examined for neutralizing activity of thymidine kinase induced by herpesvirus type 2. Inhibition of enzyme activity was found with some of the sera; however, it appeared to be more related to the patients' past experience with herpesvirus type 2 than with the presence or absence of cervical cancer. Thymidine kinase extracted from cervical cancer cells was found to migrate on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a pattern similar to those of the enzymes induced in cells by herpesvirus types 1 or 2. The enzyme of the cancer tissue, however, did not appear to be antigenically related to the virus-induced enzymes.

¹ This research was supported by Clinical Investigation Grant CI 23B from the American Cancer Society, Inc., by the NIH under USPHS Contracts 70-2024 and No 1 CP 33257 within the Virus Cancer Program of the National Cancer Institute, and by Training Grant 5TIAI 74 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Virology and Epidemiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77025.

Received 9/ 5/73. Accepted 11/ 2/73.