The herpes simplex virus UL37 protein is phosphorylated in infected cells.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) UL37 open reading frame encodes a 120-kDa late (gamma 1), nonstructural protein in infected cells. Recent studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that the UL37 protein interacts in the cytoplasm of infected cells with ICP8, the major HSV-1 DNA-binding protein. As a result of this interaction, the UL37 protein is transported to the nucleus and can be coeluted with ICP8 from single-stranded DNA columns. Pulse-labeling and pulse-chase studies of HSV-1-infected cells with [35S]methionine and 32Pi demonstrated that UL37 was a phosphoprotein which did not have a detectable rate of turnover. The protein was phosphorylated soon after translation and remained phosphorylated throughout the viral replicative cycle. UL37 protein expressed from a vaccinia virus recombinant was also phosphorylated during infection, suggesting that the UL37 protein was phosphorylated by a cellular kinase and that interaction with the ICP8 protein was not a prerequisite for UL37 phosphorylation.     

Identification and characterization of the herpes simplex virus type 1 protein encoded by the UL37 open reading frame

The UL37 open reading frame of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA genome is located between map units 0.527 and 0.552. We have identified and characterized the UL37 protein product in HSV-1-infected cells. The presence of the UL37 protein was detected by using a polyclonal rabbit antiserum directed against an in vitro-translated product derived from an in vitro-transcribed UL37 mRNA. The UL37 open reading frame encodes for a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 120 kDa in HSV-1-infected cells; the protein's mass was assigned on the basis of its migration in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The UL37 protein is not present at detectable levels in purified HSV-1 virions, suggesting that it is not a structural protein. Analysis of time course experiments and experiments using DNA synthesis inhibitors demonstrated that the UL37 protein is expressed prior to the onset of viral DNA synthesis, reaching maximum levels late in infection, classifying it as a gamma 1 gene. Elution of HSV-1-infected cell proteins from single-stranded DNA agarose columns by using a linear KCl gradient demonstrated that the UL37 protein elutes from this matrix at a salt concentration similar to that observed for ICP8, the major HSV-1 DNA-binding protein. In addition, computer-assisted analysis revealed a potential ATP-binding domain in the predicted UL37 amino acid sequence. On the basis of the kinetics of appearance and DNA-binding properties, we hypothesize that UL37 represents a newly recognized HSV-1 DNA-binding protein that may be involved in late events in viral replication.     

Functional interaction between the herpes simplex-1 DNA polymerase and UL42 protein

The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) UL42 protein, one of seven herpes-encoded polypeptides that are required for the replication of the HSV-1 genome, is found in a 1:1 complex with the HSV-1 DNA polymerase (Crute, J. J., and Lehman, I. R. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19266-19270). To obtain herpes DNA polymerase free of UL42 protein, we have cloned and overexpressed the Pol gene in a recombinant baculovirus vector and purified the recombinant DNA polymerase to near homogeneity. Replication of singly primed M13mp18 single-stranded DNA by the recombinant enzyme in the presence of the herpes encoded single-stranded DNA-binding protein ICP8 yields in addition to some full-length product a distribution of intermediate length products by a quasi-processive mode of deoxynucleotide polymerization. Addition of the purified UL42 protein results in completely processive polymerization and the generation of full-length products. Similar processivity is observed with the HSV-1 DNA polymerase purified from herpes-infected Vero cells. Processive DNA replication by the DNA polymerase isolated from HSV-1-infected Vero cells or the recombinant DNA polymerase-UL42 protein complex requires that the single-stranded DNA be coated with saturating levels of ICP8. ICP8 which binds single-stranded DNA in a highly cooperative manner is presumably required to melt out regions of secondary structure in the single-stranded DNA template, thereby potentiating the processivity enhancing action of the UL42 protein.     

The UL12.5 gene product of herpes simplex virus type 1 exhibits nuclease and strand exchange activities but does not localize to the nucleus

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) alkaline nuclease, encoded by the UL12 gene, plays an important role in HSV-1 replication, as a null mutant of UL12 displays a severe growth defect. Although the precise in vivo role of UL12 has not yet been determined, several in vitro activities have been identified for the protein, including endo- and exonuclease activities, interaction with the HSV-1 single-stranded DNA binding protein ICP8, and an ability to promote strand exchange in conjunction with ICP8. In this study, we examined a naturally occurring N-terminally truncated version of UL12 called UL12.5. Previous studies showing that UL12.5 exhibits nuclease activity but is unable to complement a UL12 null virus posed a dilemma and suggested that UL12.5 may lack a critical activity possessed by the full-length protein, UL12. We constructed a recombinant baculovirus capable of expressing UL12.5 and purified soluble UL12.5 from infected insect cells. The purified UL12.5 exhibited both endo- and exonuclease activities but was less active than UL12. Like UL12, UL12.5 could mediate strand exchange with ICP8 and could also be coimmunoprecipitated with ICP8. The primary difference between the two proteins was in their intracellular localization, with UL12 localizing to the nucleus and UL12.5 remaining in the cytoplasm. We mapped a nuclear localization signal to the N terminus of UL12, the domain absent from UL12.5. In addition, when UL12.5 was overexpressed so that some of the enzyme leaked into the nucleus, it was able to partially complement the UL12 null mutant.     

The Rep protein of adeno-associated virus type 2 interacts with single-stranded DNA-binding proteins that enhance viral replication

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) type 2 is a human parvovirus whose replication is dependent upon cellular proteins as well as functions supplied by helper viruses. The minimal herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) proteins that support AAV replication in cell culture are the helicase-primase complex of UL5, UL8, and UL52, together with the UL29 gene product ICP8. We show that AAV and HSV-1 replication proteins colocalize at discrete intranuclear sites. Transfections with mutant genes demonstrate that enzymatic functions of the helicase-primase are not essential. The ICP8 protein alone enhances AAV replication in an in vitro assay. We also show localization of the cellular replication protein A (RPA) at AAV centers under a variety of conditions that support replication. In vitro assays demonstrate that the AAV Rep68 and Rep78 proteins interact with the single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (ssDBPs) of Ad (Ad-DBP), HSV-1 (ICP8), and the cell (RPA) and that these proteins enhance binding and nicking of Rep proteins at the origin. These results highlight the importance of intranuclear localization and suggest that Rep interaction with multiple ssDBPs allows AAV to replicate under a diverse set of conditions.     

The catalytic subunit of the DNA polymerase of herpes simplex virus type 1 interacts specifically with the C terminus of the UL8 component of the viral helicase-primase complex.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) UL8 DNA replication protein is a component of a trimeric helicase-primase complex. Sixteen UL8-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were isolated and characterized. In initial immunoprecipitation experiments, one of these, MAb 804, was shown to coprecipitate POL, the catalytic subunit of the HSV-1 DNA polymerase, from extracts of insect cells infected with recombinant baculoviruses expressing the POL and UL8 proteins. Coprecipitation of POL was dependent on the presence of UL8 protein. Rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), in which one protein was bound to microtiter wells and binding of the other protein was detected with a UL8- or POL-specific MAb, were developed to investigate further the interaction between the two proteins. When tested in the ELISAs, five of the UL8-specific MAbs consistently inhibited the interaction, raising the possibility that these antibodies act by binding to epitopes at or near a site(s) on UL8 involved in its interaction with POL. The epitopes recognized by four of the inhibitory MAbs were approximately located by using a series of truncated UL8 proteins expressed in mammalian cells. Three of these MAbs recognized an epitope near the C terminus of UL8, which was subjected to fine mapping with a series of overlapping peptides. The C-terminal peptides were then tested in the ELISA for their ability to inhibit the POL-UL8 interaction: the most potent exhibited a 50% inhibitory concentration of approximately 5 microM. Our findings suggest that the UL8 protein may be involved in recruiting HSV-1 DNA polymerase into the viral DNA replication complex and also identify a potential new target for antiviral therapy.     

Pseudorabies virus UL36 tegument protein physically interacts with the UL37 protein

The UL36 open reading frame encoding the tegument protein ICP1/2 represents the largest open reading frame in the genome of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Polypeptides homologous to the HSV-1 UL36 protein are present in all subfamilies of HERPESVIRIDAE: We sequenced the UL36 gene of the alphaherpesvirus pseudorabies virus (PrV) and prepared a monospecific polyclonal rabbit antiserum against a bacterial glutathione S-transferase (GST)-UL36 fusion protein for identification of the protein. The antiserum detected a >300-kDa protein in PrV-infected cells and in purified virions. Interestingly, in coprecipitation analyses using radiolabeled infected-cell extracts, the anti-UL36 serum reproducibly coprecipitated the UL37 tegument protein, and antiserum directed against the UL37 protein coprecipitated the UL36 protein. This physical interaction could be verified using yeast two-hybrid analysis which demonstrated that the UL37 protein interacts with a defined region within the amino-terminal part of the UL36 protein. By use of immunogold labeling, capsids which accumulate in the cytoplasm in the absence of the UL37 protein (B. G. Klupp, H. Granzow, E. Mundt, and T. C. Mettenleiter, J. Virol. 75:8927-8936, 2001) as well as wild-type intracytoplasmic and extracellular virions were decorated by the anti-UL36 antiserum, whereas perinuclear primary enveloped virions were not. We postulate that the physical interaction of the UL36 protein, which presumably constitutes the innermost layer of the tegument (Z. Zhou, D. Chen, J. Jakana, F. J. Rixon, and W. Chiu, J. Virol. 73:3210-3218, 1999), with the UL37 protein is an important early step in tegumentation during virion morphogenesis in the cytoplasm.     

Sequences at the C-terminus of the herpes simplex virus type 1 UL30 protein are dispensable for DNA polymerase activity but not for viral origin-dependent DNA replication.

The UL30 protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a catalytically active DNA polymerase which is present in virus infected cells in a heterodimeric complex with an accessory subunit, the UL42 polypeptide. Both proteins are essential for viral DNA synthesis but because the UL42 protein is much more abundant it has been difficult to determine whether its role is related to, or independent of, its interaction with the UL30 protein in vivo. Since the C-terminal region of UL30 has been shown to be important for interaction with the UL42 protein but dispensable for DNA polymerase activity, a recombinant baculovirus which overexpresses a UL30 protein truncated by 27 amino acids at its C-terminus was constructed and used to assess the significance of the protein-protein interaction. The mutated protein was as active as wildtype (wt) UL30 in a DNA polymerase assay in which activated calf thymus DNA was used as template. However, in contrast to the wt protein, the activity of the truncated polymerase on this template was not stimulated by addition of purified UL42. A monoclonal antibody against the UL42 protein co-precipitated the full length but not truncated polymerase from extracts of cells which had been co-infected with a UL42-expressing recombinant baculovirus. Finally, the truncated protein was not active in a transient assay for HSV-1 origin-dependent DNA replication performed in insect cells in tissue culture. These results indicate that sequences at the C-terminus of the UL30 protein which are dispensable for DNA polymerase activity play essential roles both in viral DNA replication and interaction with the UL42 protein, and strongly suggest that the interaction between the proteins is important in vivo.     

Catalysis of strand exchange by the HSV-1 UL12 and ICP8 proteins: potent ICP8 recombinase activity is revealed upon resection of dsDNA substrate by nuclease

The replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is associated with a high degree of homologous recombination, which is likely to be mediated, in part, by HSV-1-encoded proteins. We have previously shown that the HSV-1 encoded ICP8 protein and alkaline nuclease UL12 are capable of catalyzing an in vitro strand-exchange reaction. Here, we show, by electron microscopy, that the products of the strand exchange reaction between linear double-stranded DNA and circular single-stranded DNA consist of the expected joint molecule forms: sigma, alpha, and gapped circles. Other exonucleases, such as lambda Red alpha, which, like UL12, digests 5'-3', as well as Escherichia coli exonuclease III (ExoIII), which digests 3'-5', could substitute for UL12 in the strand exchange reaction by providing a resected DNA end. ICP8 generated the same intermediates and strand exchange products when the double-stranded DNA substrate was preresected by any of the nucleases. Using substrates with large regions of non-homology we found that pairing by ICP8 could be initiated from the middle of a DNA molecule and did not require a homologous end. In this reaction, the resection of a DNA end by the nuclease is required to reveal homologous sequences capable of being paired by ICP8. This study further illustrates the complexity of the multi-functional ICP8 protein.     

Identification of a divalent metal cation binding site in herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) ICP8 required for HSV replication

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) ICP8 is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein that is necessary for viral DNA replication and exhibits recombinase activity in vitro. Alignment of the HSV-1 ICP8 amino acid sequence with ICP8 homologs from other herpesviruses revealed conserved aspartic acid (D) and glutamic acid (E) residues. Amino acid residue D1087 was conserved in every ICP8 homolog analyzed, indicating that it is likely critical for ICP8 function. We took a genetic approach to investigate the functions of the conserved ICP8 D and E residues in HSV-1 replication. The E1086A D1087A mutant form of ICP8 failed to support the replication of an ICP8 mutant virus in a complementation assay. E1086A D1087A mutant ICP8 bound DNA, albeit with reduced affinity, demonstrating that the protein is not globally misfolded. This mutant form of ICP8 was also recognized by a conformation-specific antibody, further indicating that its overall structure was intact. A recombinant virus expressing E1086A D1087A mutant ICP8 was defective in viral replication, viral DNA synthesis, and late gene expression in Vero cells. A class of enzymes called DDE recombinases utilize conserved D and E residues to coordinate divalent metal cations in their active sites. We investigated whether the conserved D and E residues in ICP8 were also required for binding metal cations and found that the E1086A D1087A mutant form of ICP8 exhibited altered divalent metal binding in an in vitro iron-induced cleavage assay. These results identify a novel divalent metal cation-binding site in ICP8 that is required for ICP8 functions during viral replication.     

The dominant-negative herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) recombinant CJ83193 can serve as an effective vaccine against wild-type HSV-1 infection in mice

By selectively regulating the expression of the trans-dominant-negative mutant polypeptide UL9-C535C, of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) origin binding protein UL9 with the tetracycline repressor (tetR)-mediated gene switch, we recently generated a novel replication-defective and anti-HSV-specific HSV-1 recombinant, CJ83193. The UL9-C535C peptides expressed by CJ83193 can function as a potent intracellular therapy against its own replication, as well as the replication of wild-type HSV-1 and HSV-2 in coinfected cells. In this report, we demonstrate that CJ83193 cannot initiate acute productive infection in corneas of infected mice nor can it reactivate from trigeminal ganglia of mice latently infected by CJ83193 in a mouse ocular model. Given that CJ83193 is capable of expressing the viral alpha, beta, and gamma1 genes but little or no gamma2 genes, we tested the vaccine potential of CJ83193 against HSV-1 infection in a mouse ocular model. Our studies showed that immunization with CJ83193 significantly reduced the yields of challenge HSV in the eyes and trigeminal ganglia on days 3, 5, and 7 postchallenge. Like in mice immunized with the wild-type HSV-1 strain KOS, immunization of mice with CJ83193 prevents the development of keratitis and encephalitis induced by corneal challenge with wild-type HSV-1 strain mP. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assays demonstrate that CJ83193 can elicit durable cell-mediated immunity at the same level as that of wild-type HSV-1 and is more effective than that induced by d27, an HSV-1 ICP27 deletion mutant. Moreover, mice immunized with CJ83193 developed strong, durable HSV-1-neutralizing antibodies at levels at least twofold higher than those induced by d27. The results presented in this report have shed new light on the development of effective HSV viral vaccines that encode a unique safety mechanism capable of inhibiting the mutant's own replication and that of wild-type virus.     

单纯疱疹病毒2型衣壳支架蛋白ICP35原核表达载体的构建及其表达特性分析

本研究旨在构建单纯疱疹病毒2型(herpes simplex virus type 2,HSV-2)衣壳支架蛋白ICP35的原核表达载体,并分析其在HSV-2增殖中的表达特性。以HSV-2基因组DNA为模板,采用聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)扩增HSV-2 ICP35的编码基因UL26.5,并克隆至原核表达载体pET-32a(＋),转化大肠埃希菌BL21(DE3)进行诱导表达,将纯化的重组ICP35免疫家兔后获得抗体,采用免疫荧光检测ICP35在HSV-2增殖中的表达特性。结果显示,HSV-2 UL26.5基因的PCR产物大小约为1 065 bp,原核表达重组蛋白的相对分子质量约为6.3×10⁴,免疫家兔的血清抗体可特异性识别HSV-2 ICP35。免疫荧光检测结果显示,HSV-2 ICP35可在感染后8 h出现于细胞核周围,12 h表达量进一步增加并向细胞核内聚集,16 h后在细胞核、细胞质内均可检测到聚集成斑点状的衣壳支架蛋白。结果表明,HSV-2 ICP35原核表达载体的成功构建及对其在HSV-2增殖中表达特性的分析,将为研究UL26.5基因的功能、蛋白相互作用、病毒与宿主的相互作用及筛选药物靶标等奠定基础。     

The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 47 (ORF47) protein kinase is dispensable for viral replication and is not required for phosphorylation of ORF63 protein, the VZV homolog of herpes simplex virus ICP22.

To investigate the role of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 47 (ORF47) protein kinase during infection, a VZV mutant was generated in which two contiguous stop codons were introduced into ORF47, thus eliminating expression of the ORF47 kinase. ORF47 kinase was not essential for the growth of VZV in cultured cells, and the growth rate of the VZV mutant lacking ORF47 protein was indistinguishable from that of parental VZV. Nuclear extracts from cells infected with parental VZV contained several phosphorylated proteins which were not detected in extracts from cells infected with the ORF47 mutant. The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) UL13 protein (the homolog of VZV ORF47 protein) is responsible for the posttranslational processing associated with phosphorylation of HSV-1 ICP22 (the homolog of VZV ORF63 protein). Immunoprecipitation of 32P-labeled proteins from cells infected with parental virus and those infected with ORF47 mutant virus yielded similar amounts of the VZV phosphoproteins encoded by ORF4, ORF62, ORF63, and ORF68 (VZV gE), and the electrophoretic migration of these proteins was not affected by the lack of ORF47 kinase. Therefore, while the VZV ORF47 protein is capable of phosphorylating several cellular or viral proteins, it is not required for phosphorylation of the ORF63 protein in virus-infected cells.     

Herpes simplex virus type 1 single-strand DNA binding protein ICP8 enhances the nuclease activity of the UL12 alkaline nuclease by increasing its processivity

UL12 is a 5'- to 3'-exonuclease encoded by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) which degrades single- and double-stranded DNA. UL12 and the single-strand DNA binding protein ICP8 mediate a strand exchange reaction. We found that ICP8 inhibited UL12 digestion of single-stranded DNA but stimulated digestion of double-stranded DNA threefold. The stimulatory effect of ICP8 was independent of a strand exchange reaction; furthermore, the effect was specific to ICP8, as it could not be reproduced by Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein. The effect of ICP8 on the rate of UL12 double-stranded DNA digestion is attributable to an increase in processivity in the presence of ICP8.     

UL52 Primase Interactions in the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Helicase-Primase Are Affected by Antiviral Compounds and Mutations Causing Drug Resistance

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) UL5/8/52 helicase-primase complex is required for DNA unwinding at the replication fork and synthesis of primers during virus replication, and it has become a promising novel target for antiviral therapy. Using molecular cloning, we have identified three separate domains of UL52. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments in extracts from cells transiently expressing HA-tagged UL5, FLAG-UL8, and enhanced GFP-tagged UL52 domains revealed that the N-terminal domain of UL52 primase binds UL5 helicase and the middle domain interacts with the UL8 accessory protein. In addition, an interaction between the single strand DNA-binding protein ICP8 and the UL52 middle domain was observed. The complex between UL5 and UL52 was stabilized by the antiviral compound BAY 54-6322, and mutations providing resistance to the drug obliterate this effect. Our results also suggest a mechanism for accommodating conformational strain resulting from movement of UL5 and UL52 in opposite directions on the lagging strand template, and they identify molecular complexes that can be further examined by structural biology techniques to resolve the mechanism of primer synthesis during herpesvirus replication. Finally, they help to explain the mechanism of action of a novel class of antiviral compounds currently being evaluated in clinical trials.     

ICP27 interacts with SRPK1 to mediate HSV splicing inhibition by altering SR protein phosphorylation

Infection with some viruses can alter cellular mRNA processing to favor viral gene expression. We present evidence that herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) protein ICP27, which contributes to host shut-off by inhibiting pre-mRNA splicing, interacts with essential splicing factors termed SR proteins and affects their phosphorylation. During HSV-1 infection, phosphorylation of several SR proteins was reduced and this correlated with a subnuclear redistribution. Exogenous SR proteins restored splicing in ICP27-inhibited nuclear extracts and SR proteins isolated from HSV-1-infected cells activated splicing in uninfected S100 extracts, indicating that inhibition occurs by a reversible mechanism. Spliceosome assembly was blocked at the pre-spliceosomal complex A stage. Furthermore, we show that ICP27 interacts with SRPK1 and relocalizes it to the nucleus; moreover, SRPK1 activity was altered in the presence of ICP27 in vitro. We propose that ICP27 modifies SRPK1 activity resulting in hypophosphorylation of SR proteins impairing their ability to function in spliceosome assembly.     

Physical interaction between the herpes simplex virus type 1 exonuclease, UL12, and the DNA double-strand break-sensing MRN complex

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) alkaline nuclease, encoded by the UL12 gene, plays an important role in HSV-1 replication, as a UL12 null mutant displays a severe growth defect. The HSV-1 alkaline exonuclease UL12 interacts with the viral single-stranded DNA binding protein ICP8 and promotes strand exchange in vitro in conjunction with ICP8. We proposed that UL12 and ICP8 form a two-subunit recombinase reminiscent of the phage lambda Red α/β recombination system and that the viral and cellular recombinases contribute to viral genome replication through a homologous recombination-dependent DNA replication mechanism. To test this hypothesis, we identified cellular interaction partners of UL12 by using coimmunoprecipitation. We report for the first time a specific interaction between UL12 and components of the cellular MRN complex, an important factor in the ATM-mediated homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway. This interaction is detected early during infection and does not require viral DNA or other viral or cellular proteins. The region of UL12 responsible for the interaction has been mapped to the first 125 residues, and coimmunoprecipitation can be abolished by deletion of residues 100 to 126. These observations support the hypothesis that cellular and viral recombination factors work together to promote efficient HSV-1 growth.