The UL25 gene product of herpes simplex virus type 1 is involved in uncoating of the viral genome.

Studies on the herpes simplex virus type 1 UL25-null mutant KUL25NS have shown that the capsid-associated UL25 protein is required at a late stage in the encapsidation of viral DNA. Our previous work on UL25 with the UL25 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant ts1204 also implicated UL25 in a role at very early times in the virus growth cycle, possibly at the stage of penetration of the host cell. We have reexamined this mutant and discovered that it had an additional ts mutation elsewhere in the genome. The ts1204 UL25 mutation was transferred into wild-type (wt) virus DNA, and the UL25 mutant ts1249 was isolated and characterized to clarify the function of UL25 at the initial stages of virus infection. Indirect immunofluorescence assays and in situ hybridization analysis of virus-infected cells revealed that the mutant ts1249 was not impaired in penetration of the host cell but had an uncoating defect at the nonpermissive temperature. When ts1249-infected cells were incubated initially at the permissive temperature to allow uncoating of the viral genome and subsequently transferred to the restrictive temperature, a DNA-packaging defect was evident. The results suggested that ts1249, like KUL25NS, had a block at a late stage of DNA packaging and that the packaged genome was shorter than the full-length genome. Examination of ts1249 capsids produced at the nonpermissive temperature revealed that, in comparison with wt capsids, they contained reduced amounts of UL25 protein, thereby providing a possible explanation for the failure of ts1249 to package full-length viral DNA.

Regions of the herpes simplex virus scaffolding protein that are important for intermolecular self-interaction.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) scaffolding protein encoded by gene UL26.5 promotes the formation of the icosahedral capsid shell through its association with the major capsid protein VP5 and through intermolecular interactions with itself. Inside the capsid shell, the UL26.5 product together with the maturational protease, a minor protein, form a spherical structure which is broken down and released from the capsid during packaging of the viral genome. Selected residues from four internal regions of the HSV-1 scaffolding protein that have significant conservation of amino acids within the scaffolding proteins of alphaherpesviruses were mutated, and the properties of the proteins were examined. Only the HSV-1 scaffolding protein with mutations in the conserved N-terminal domain showed reduced interaction with the varicella-zoster virus homologue in a cell-based immunofluorescence assay, providing the first evidence that this domain in the HSV-1 protein is likely to be involved in intermolecular self-interaction. Scaffolding protein with mutations in this domain or in either of two other domains failed to assemble into scaffold-like particles but retained the ability to self-interact, although the aggregates were significant smaller than most of the aggregates formed by the wild-type protein. These results suggest that there are multiple domains involved in the intermolecular self-association of the HSV-1 scaffolding protein that can act independently of one another. This conclusion was supported by the observation that none of the mutant proteins with lesions in an individual domain, including a protein with mutations in a central region previously implicated in self-interaction (A. Pelletier, F. Dô, J. J. Brisebois, L. Lagacé, and M. G. Cordingley, J. Virol. 71:5197-5208, 1997), interfered with capsid assembly in a baculovirus expression system. A protein mutated in the central region and another conserved domain, both of which had been predicted to form coiled coils, was impaired for capsid formation but still retained the capacity to interact with VP5.