Association of a major transcriptional regulatory protein, ICP4, of herpes simplex virus type 1 with the plasma membrane of virus-infected cells.

A major transcriptional regulatory protein, ICP4, of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is localized primarily within the nucleus soon after its synthesis. Recent studies have shown that approximately 100 to 200 molecules of ICP4 are located in the tegument region of purified virions (F. Yao and R. J. Courtney, J. Virol. 63:3338-3344, 1989). As an extension to these studies, we present data suggesting that ICP4 may also associate with the plasma membrane of HSV-1-infected cells. The experimental approaches used included the isolation and purification of plasma membranes from HSV-1-infected cells, the isolation of purified vesicular stomatitis virus containing ICP4, and immunofluorescence of HSV-1-infected cells following selective permeabilization with detergent. The results from the above studies support the suggestion that detectable amounts of ICP4 are associated with the inner surface of the plasma membrane of HSV-1-infected cells.