On the Structure, Functional Equivalence, and Replication of the Four Arrangements of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA

The Herpesviridae constitute a large family of DNA viruses infecting a vast variety of eukaryotic species. The common features of the family are the architecture of the virion and many aspects of the reproductive cycle. The herpesvirus DNAs range from approximately 85 to 150 × 106 in molecular weight. Provisionally, the more thoroughly investigated herpesviruses have been classified into three subfamilies on the basis of selected biologic properties and the structure of their DNA. The Alphaherpesvirinae comprising herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 and -2, bovine mammillitis, and pseudorabies virus contain a DNA approximately 85–110 × 106 in molecular weight (Becker et al. 1968; Kieff et al. 1971; Buchman and Roizman 1978a,b; Stevely 1977); a characteristic of this DNA is that the sequences from at least one end are reiterated internally in an inverted orientation (Sheldrick and Berthelot 1975; Wadsworth et al. 1975; Stevely 1977; Buchman and Roizman 1978a,b). The Betaherpes-virinae comprising...