DNA Cleavage and Packaging Proteins Encoded by Genes U L 28, U L 15, and U L 33 of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Form a Complex in Infected Cells

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that the UL6, UL15, UL17, UL28, UL32, and UL33 genes are required for the cleavage and packaging of herpes simplex viral DNA. To identify proteins that interact with the UL28-encoded DNA binding protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a previously undescribed rabbit polyclonal antibody directed against the UL28 protein fused to glutathione S-transferase was used to immunopurify UL28 and the proteins with which it associated. It was found that the antibody specifically coimmunoprecipitated proteins encoded by the genes UL28, UL15, and UL33 from lysates of both HEp-2 cells infected with HSV-1(F) and insect cells infected with recombinant baculoviruses expressing these three proteins. In reciprocal reactions, antibodies directed against the UL15- or UL33-encoded proteins also coimmunoprecipitated the UL28 protein. The coimmunoprecipitation of the three proteins from HSV-infected cells confirms earlier reports of an association between the UL28 and UL15 proteins and represents the first evidence of the involvement of the UL33 protein in this complex.