Reconstitution of herpes simplex virus type 1 ribonucleotide reductase activity from the large and small subunits.

An assay for the presence of functional large (RR1) and small (RR2) subunits of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) ribonucleotide reductase has been developed. The system utilizes two temperature-sensitive mutants, ts1207, which has a lesion in RR1, and ts1222, which has a lesion in RR2. In cells infected with ts1207 at 39.5 degrees C, the defective RR1 is unable to associate with RR2 to form an active enzyme, and, as a result, a pool of functional RR2 and defective RR1 accumulates. Evidence presented in this paper suggest that cells infected with ts1222 at either 31 degrees C or 39.5 degrees C accumulate a pool of functional RR1, but do not contain detectable RR2. Virus-specific ribonucleotide reductase activity was produced in cells coinfected with both mutants at 39.5 degrees C, each virus contributing one functional subunit to the holoenzyme. No enzyme activity was detected in cells infected with each mutant alone at this temperature. When partially purified extracts of cells infected with ts1207 at the nonpermissive temperature were mixed with those from ts1222-infected cells, a fully functional enzyme was also formed. These results demonstrate that HSV-1 ribonucleotide reductase activity can be reconstituted both in vivo and in vitro from the nondefective subunits produced by ts1222 and ts1207.