Synthesis of Herpes Simplex Virus Structural Proteins in Arginine Deprived Cells

Abstract

ARGININE deprivation of herpes simplex virus infected cells resulted in (a) inhibition of the synthesis of infectious virions^1–5; (b) a decline in the rate of cellular protein synthesis³; (c) a continuous replication of viral DNA³; (d) synthesis of virus specific proteins⁶; and (e) synthesis of virus specific antigens (ref. 7 and personal communication of A. B. Sabin). Addition of arginine to the deprived cells resulted in the restoration of virus replication and the envelopment of the viral DNA³. Recently, the analyses of enveloped herpes virions^8,9 by acrylamide gel electrophoresis¹⁰ demonstrated that the herpes virion is composed of seven major structural viral proteins (designated II to VIII¹⁰). Two of these proteins (designated II and VIII) constitute the viral capsid; two proteins constitute the viral core proteins (VII and VI); and three glycoproteins (designated III, IV, V) are present in the viral envelopes. Protein III is found in the large outer envelope of the cytoplasmic herpes simplex virions¹⁰. Protein I seems to be an aggregate of one of the envelope proteins and protein IX constitutes only 1 per cent of the structural proteins¹⁰. It was therefore possible to identify the virus specific structural proteins synthesized in the infected cells in the absence of arginine and used for virion formation on the addition of arginine.