Identification and Visualization of Functionally Important Domains and Residues in Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein K(gK) Using a Combination of Phylogenetics and Protein Modeling.

ABSTRACT: Alphaherpesviruses are a subfamily of herpesviruses that include the significant human pathogens herpes simplex viruses (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV). Glycoprotein K (gK), conserved in all alphaherpesviruses, is a multi-membrane spanning virion glycoprotein essential for virus entry into neuronal axons, virion assembly, and pathogenesis. Despite these critical functions, little is known about which gK domains and residues are most important for maintaining these functions across all alphaherpesviruses. Herein, we employed phylogenetic and structural analyses including the use of a novel model for evolutionary rate variation across residues to predict conserved gK functional domains. We found marked heterogeneity in the evolutionary rate at the level of both individual residues and

SUBMITTER: Rider PJF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6787236 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature