U3 Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase from MDV-1, MDV-2, and HVT Differentially Regulate Viral Gene Expression and Replication.

2 (GaHV-2), commonly known as Marek's disease virus type 1 (MDV-1), is an oncogenic avian alphaherpesvirus, and along with its close relatives- 3 (GaHV-3) or MDV-2 and 1 (MeHV-1) or turkey herpesvirus (HVT)-belongs to the genus. We and others previously showed that MDV-1 U3 protein kinase plays an important role in viral replication and pathogenesis, which could be partially compensated by MDV-2 and HVT U3. In this study, we further studied the differential roles of MDV-1, MDV-2 and HVT U3 in regulating viral gene expression and replication.

Marek's disease virus US3 protein kinase phosphorylates chicken HDAC 1 and 2 and regulates viral replication and pathogenesis.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a potent oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that elicits a rapid onset of malignant T-cell lymphomas in chickens. Three MDV types, including GaHV-2 (MDV-1), GaHV-3 (MDV-2) and MeHV-1 (HVT), have been identified and all encode a US3 protein kinase. MDV-1 US3 is important for efficient virus growth in vitro.