The interacting UL31 and UL34 gene products of pseudorabies virus are involved in egress from the host-cell nucleus and represent components of primary enveloped but not mature virions.

ABSTRACT: A 2.6-kbp fragment of the pseudorabies virus (PrV) genome was sequenced and shown to contain the homologues of the highly conserved herpesvirus genes UL31 and UL32. By use of a monospecific antiserum, the UL31 gene product was identified as a nuclear protein with an apparent molecular mass of 29 kDa. For functional analysis, UL31 was deleted by mutagenesis in Escherichia coli of an infectious full-length clone of the PrV genome. The resulting virus mutants were deficient in plaque formation, and titers were reduced more than 100-fold from those of wild-type PrV. Ultrastructural analyses demonstrated that capsid maturation and DNA packaging were not affected. However, neither budding at the inner nuclear membrane nor cytoplasmic or extracellular virus particles were observed. These replicat

SUBMITTER: Fuchs W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC135715 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature