RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Hart, Jane A1 Ackermann, Mathias A1 Jayawardane, Gamini A1 Russell, George A1 Haig, David M. A1 Reid, Hugh A1 Stewart, James P.YR 2007 T1 Complete sequence and analysis of the ovine herpesvirus 2 genome JF Journal of General Virology, VO 88 IS 1 SP 28 OP 39 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.82284-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) is endemic in sheep populations worldwide and causes malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), a lymphoproliferative disease, in cattle, bison and deer. OvHV-2 has been placed in the gammaherpesvirus subfamily and is related closely to Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1). Here, the cloning, sequencing and analysis of the complete OvHV-2 genome derived from a lymphoblastoid cell line from an affected cow (BJ1035) are reported. The unique portion of the genome consists of 130 930 bp, with a mean G+C content of 52 mol%. The unique DNA is flanked by multiple copies of terminal repeat elements 4205 bp in length, with a mean G+C content of 72 mol%. Analysis revealed 73 open reading frames (ORFs), the majority (62) of which showed homology to other gammaherpesvirus genes. A further subset of nine ORFs is shared with only the related AlHV-1. Three ORFs are entirely unique to OvHV-2, including a spliced homologue of cellular interleukin-10 that retains the exon structure of the cellular gene. The sequence of OvHV-2 is a critical first step in the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of MCF., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82284-0