LAUSR

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a typical herpesvirus, initially assembles in the nucleus of the infected cell, producing a procapsid, 125 nm in diameter, conforming to icosahedral symmetry. The procapsid is then packaged with the DNA genome and undergoes a major structural transformation [1]. This particle, the nucleocapsid or C-capsid, migrates out of the nucleus. To do so, it first buds through the inner nuclear membrane and becomes coated with a layer of the NEC (nuclear egress complex) protein. This yields a Primary Enveloped Virion (PEV) [2]. Its envelope then fuses with the outer nuclear membrane, releasing the nucleocapsid into the cytoplasm. Subsequent steps in the pathway include acquisition of the viral envelope (a membrane populated with glycoprotein spikes) and the tegument (a protein compartment between the envelope and the capsid).