Transcription of the Herpes Simplex Virus Genome in Human Cells

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Abstract
We have examined the details of the transcription of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) genome in HeLa cells using deoxyribonucleic acid-ribonucleic acid (DNA-RNA) hybridization. The following findings are reported. (i) Virus-specific RNA (vRNA) synthesized following onset of HSV-DNA replication (L-vRNA) is complementary to as much as 90% of the HSV genome. (ii) There is no significant class of virus-specific RNA synthesized later than L-vRNA. (iii) The vRNA synthesized prior to HSV-DNA replication (E-vRNA) is composed of two classes; one class comprising 75% of the total E-vRNA is found in large amounts as early as 45 min after infection, whereas the other class making up the other 25% of E-vRNA is found in only small amounts at 1.5 hr after infection. This second class of E-vRNA is found in amounts comparable to the first by 3.5 hr after infection. (iv) Inhibition of HSV-DNA synthesis results in the continued synthesis of E-vRNA, but there is no synthesis of L-vRNA. (v) Finally, there is no class of vRNA found in the nucleus that is not found associated with cytoplasmic polyribosomes either early or late after infection.