Electron microscopy of herpes simplex virus. 3. Effect of hydroxyurea.

The effect of hydroxyurea on the development of herpes virus is mediated through its inhibitory action on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis. Concentrations of the drug that suppress the production of infectious virus cause typical developmental anomalies: failure in formation of the normally dense cores or "complete" viral particles, and either faulty or no envelopment of viral capsids by membranes. The synthesis of viral capsids and virus-stimulated nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes, however, is not interrupted. Combining these results with those of time sequence experiments, the following hypotheses can be presented regarding viral development. Protein synthesis, which is characterized by capsids enclosing cores of low density, precedes DNA synthesis, which is characterized by the appearance of dense cores. Capsids with dense cores are selectively transported to the cytoplasm. Envelopment generally takes place as capsids pass from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The process of envelopment is also selective, with the result that the majority of particles that have an envelope contain a full quota of DNA.