Herpes Simplex Viruses: Mechanisms of DNA Replication

Sandra K. Weller; Donald M. Coen

doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a013011

Herpes Simplex Viruses: Mechanisms of DNA Replication

Sandra K. Weller1 and
Donald M. Coen2

¹Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3205
²Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Correspondence: weller{at}nso2.uchc.edu

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encodes seven proteins necessary for viral DNA synthesis—UL9 (origin-binding protein), ICP8 (single-strand DNA [ssDNA]-binding protein), UL30/UL42 (polymerase), and UL5/UL8/UL52 (helicase/primase). It is our intention to provide an up-to-date analysis of our understanding of the structures of these replication proteins and how they function during HSV replication. The potential roles of host repair and recombination proteins will also be discussed.