Unusual Intranuclear Tubular Structures Associated with the Maturation of Herpesvirus saimiri in Monkey Kidney Cell Cultures

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Abstract
Unusual intranuclear tubules have been observed in cultures of both African green monkey and owl monkey kidney cells infected with Herpesvirus saimiri; the material was studied in thin sections with the electron microscope. The tubules were seen in about 10% of virus-containing cells at the stage when the virus matured by budding at the nuclear membrane, measured 160-180 nm in diameter and up to 3.6 μm in length, were bounded by an outer “membrane” and contained beneath this an electron dense repeating structure arranged either as a coil or a series of evenly spaced rings. The morphology and significance of the tubules are discussed.