mRNA- and DNA-directed synthesis of herpes simplex virus-coded exonuclease in Xenopus laevis oocytes

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Abstract
Microinjection of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-infected hamster kidney BHK cell mRNA into X. laevis oocytes resulted in the production of a new exonuclease activity. This enzyme strongly resembled the HSV alkaline exonuclease in many biochemical properties, and hybrid-arrested translation studies showed that it was virus coded, mapping at 0.080-0.185 genome map units. Exonuclease mRNA had a size and genome location equivalent to the mRNA encoding VI85 in reticulocyte lysates, suggesting that VI85 is the exonuclease. The enzyme synthesized in oocytes was found to act as an exonuclease in vivo. Two plasmids containing HSV DNA fragments directed the synthesis of exonuclease when microinjected into oocyte nuclei, and this finding enabled the coding and control sequences for this gene to be localized to 0.155 to 0.185 genome map units.