RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Zipeto, Donato A1 Baldanti, Fausto A1 Percivalle, Elena A1 Gerna, Giuseppe A1 Milanesi, GabrieleYR 1993 T1 Identification of a human cytomegalovirus mutant in the pp150 matrix phosphoprotein gene with a growth-defective phenotype JF Journal of General Virology, VO 74 IS 8 SP 1645 OP 1648 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-74-8-1645 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB Following amplification by PCR of a portion of the matrix phosphoprotein pp150 gene, electrophoretic analysis revealed the simultaneous presence of two viral variants of human cytomegalovirus in the blood of a heart transplant recipient. Repeated denaturation-annealing cycles during the amplification reaction led to the formation of heteroduplex molecules with altered electrophoretic mobility. Sequence analysis of the amplification products showed the presence of a viral variant carrying an in-frame three nucleotide deletion, which caused the absence of an aspartic acid in the corresponding protein. Attempts to plaque-purify the deletion mutant were unsuccessful, suggesting that the variant was growth-defective., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-74-8-1645