Herpes simplex virus and human cytomegalovirus replication in WI-38 cells. II. An ultrastructural study of viral penetration.

An electron microscope study was carried out on the early minutes of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) penetration into WI-38 cells. Both HSV and CMV entered cells either by fusion of the viral envelope with a limiting cell membrane, or via phagocytosis. Both fusion and phagocytosis occurred within 3 min after the initiation of penetration. After fusion, the naked capsids of CMV free in the cytoplasm became coated with a fine, fibrillar material. CMV capsids thus coated retained a well-defined and easily identifiable morphology until the eclipse of visible viral particles between 1 and 1.5 days postinfection. In contrast, naked HSV capsids free in the cytoplasm were never coated. Rather, within minutes after penetration, they assumed a rounded, less regular outline, and were no longer detectable by 90 to 120 min postinfection. The free naked capsids of both viruses appeared to migrate across the cytoplasm toward the nucleus and to become located near nuclear pores. Both HSV and CMV capsids reached the nucleus as early as 5 min after the initiation of penetration. No further interaction with the nucleus could be documented. Particles were also consistently identified in the Golgi region. Phagocytosed particles generally remained within phagosomes, where they appeared to be degraded. However, stages were identified in what is believed to be the escape of enveloped viruses from phagosomes into the cytoplasm via fusion of their envelope with the phagosomal membrane.