Deletion of the us7 and us8 genes of pseudorabies virus exerts a differential effect on the expression of early and late viral genes

Abstract

The pseudorabies virus (PRV; also known as Suid herpesvirus-1) is a neurotropic herpesvirus of swine. The us7 and us8 genes of this virus encode the glycoprotein I and E membrane proteins that form a heterodimer that is known to control cell-to-cell spread in tissue culture and in animals. In this study, we investigated the effect of the deletion of the PRV us7 and us8 genes on the genome-wide transcription and DNA replication using a multi-time-point quantitative reverse transcriptase-based real-time PCR technique. Abrogation of the us7/8 gene function was found to exert a drastic but differential effect on the expression of PRV genes during lytic infection. In the mutant virus, all kinetic classes of viral genes were significantly down-regulated at the first 6 h of infection, while having been upregulated later. The level of upregulation was the highest in the immediate-early (IE) and the early (E) genes; lower in the early-late (E/L) genes; and the lowest in the late (L) genes. The relative contribution of the L transcripts to the global transcriptome became lower, while the rest of the transcripts were expressed at a higher level in the mutant than in the wild-type virus.

Transcriptome analysis of Pseudorabies virus reveals selective regulation of different kinetic classes of genes

“…The literature of the gE/gI protein complex is focused around the function of the protein in cellular sorting, viral spreading and related, or the use of gE/gI mutant viruses as vaccine (due to its attenuation). Thus, our recently published work (Póka et al 2017) with results that were shown in this thesis along with others that are not detailed here, sheds light to a new area of PRV research.…”

UL11 Protein Is a Key Participant of the Duck Plague Virus in Its Life Cycle

“…With the above results, the reduced expression of the UL11 could affect the viral replication. The ICP22 ( Fraser and Rice, 2007 ; Li et al, 2020 ), ICP27 ( Tang et al, 2019 ), and ICP4 ( Frasson et al, 2021 ) are immediate early genes, and UL11 ( Yang et al, 2021 ), UL16 ( Oshima et al, 1998 ; He et al, 2012 ), UL21 ( Yang et al, 2020 ), gE ( Po’ka et al, 2017 ) and gB ( Ramachandran et al, 2010 ) are late genes, and the US3 ( Labiuk et al, 2010 ) is an early gene. Nevertheless, how DPV UL11 takes part in the viral replication process, we still do not know.…”

The transmembrane and cytosolic domains of equine herpesvirus type 1 glycoprotein D determine Golgi retention by regulating vesicle formation

“…Herpesviruses consist of four morphologically differentiable structures: a nucleoprotein core containing genomic DNA, an icosahedral capsid consisting of 162 capsomers, a proteinaceous layer of electron-dense material (tegument) augmenting the capsid, and a viral envelope as the outermost layer(6). In addition, all herpesviruses conform to the same structural plan (7). It is well known that the assembled nucleocapsid of herpesviruses in the nucleus acquires the primary envelope by budding from the inner nuclear membrane and loses it by fusing with the outer nuclear membrane to cross the nuclear membrane(8).…”