A mutant of Aujeszky's disease virus with deletion in the immediate-early gene has a wide host cell range including neural cells, but shows no pathogenicity in their conventional cells. It is suggesting that the mutant is applicable as a new and good viral vector. Therefore rat nerve growth factor (NGF) gene was inserted as a foreign gene into the mutant. Consequently, the mutant with NGF gene expressed functional NGF in conventional cultured cells.
(Lab. of Pathogenic viruses, Department of Virology)
