The cDNA of UL15, a highly conserved herpes simplex virus 1 gene, effectively replaces the two exons of the wild-type virus.

The UL15 gene of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is encoded by two or more exons in all herpesvirus genomes sequenced to date. The UL15 coding region is highly conserved, and the intron invariably encodes other genes transcribed antisense to the UL15 coding region. Previously we reported that we deleted the intron domain encoding UL16 but were unable to delete UL15 (J. D. Baines and B. Roizman, J. Virol. 65:938-944, 1991). Here we report that we replaced exon I of UL15 with an unspliced cDNA copy of UL15 in HSV-1 DNA and deleted 58% of the carboxyl-terminal sequences of the natural copy of exon II, including the polyadenylation signal. The yields of infectious virus obtained upon infection with viruses containing the cDNA copy of UL15 were similar to those of an isogenic virus with a wild-type UL15 gene. We therefore conclude that the separation of the two exons of UL15 by an intron encoding two genes is not essential for the replication of HSV, at least in cell culture.