Comparative analysis of the virion polypeptides specified by herpes simplex virus type 2 strains.

This paper reports on the variability of structural polypeptides of 32 strains of Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) isolated from various locations in the United States and Italy. Most strains were passaged a limited number of times at low multiplicity outside the human host; a few strains were characterized by numerous passages at variable multiplicities in cell culture. The acrylamide gel electrophoresis of polypeptides from purified virions revealed very few differences. Considering these differences the HSV-2 strains analysed can be classified into 3 groups according to the variability of three polypeptides. The study of polypeptides in HSV-2 infected cells revealed more differences than those seen in the structural proteins. Comparisons of the structural proteins specified by HSV-2 and HSV-1 virions, revealed clear variant features of the electrophoretic profiles, especially when pH of main gel was 8.9.