Herpes simplex virus proteins: DNA-binding proteins in infected cells and in the virus structure

Abstract

DNA-binding proteins have been isolated from BHK21 C13 cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 strain 17 syn + by native and denatured DNA affinity chromatography. Sixteen proteins have been identified as specific to the infected cell on SDS polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis and their molecular weights range from 145 × 10 3 to 10.5 × 10 3. After infection with herpes simplex virus many of the mock infected cell specific DNA binding proteins are no longer produced and this “switch off” of host cell protein synthesis is rapid. The virus-induced DNA-binding proteins fall into two quantitative classes and there is evidence for temporal control of their synthesis. One of the virus-induced DNA-binding proteins has a molecular weight identical to a polypeptide found in full but not empty particles and another binds preferentially to denatured DNA.