Studies on the polypeptides of varicella-zoster (V-Z) virus. II. Syntheses of viral polypeptides in infected cells.

Synthesis of varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-induced polypeptide was examined at intervals after infection by immunoprecipitation, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and fluorography. Human embryonic lung (HEL) cells were inoculated with VZV-infected cells at a ratio of about 1 infected cell to 5 uninfected cells and pulse-labelled with 35S-methionine or 14C-glucosamine. Under this experimental condition, virus-induced protein and glycoprotein began to appear 4 to 6 and 18 to 20 h after infection, respectively, and a capsid protein (MW 145,000) was prominent 18 h after injection. The synthesis of these proteins reached maxima at 46 to 48 h after infection. In all, 34 polypeptides and 10 to 13 glycoproteins with molecular weight of 145,000 to 22,000 and 115,000 to 38,000, respectively, were detected. A few polypeptides (MW 130,000, 95,000, 72,000) were detected in infected cells treated with phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) at an early stage of infection. Proteins and glycoproteins of virion of VZV were analyzed by immunoprecipitation with antisera against partially purified virion of VZV. At least 12 polypeptides with MW of 145,000 to 35,000 and 7 glycoproteins (MW 105,000, 90,000, 84,000, 72,000, 70,000, 60,000 and 56,000) were identified. A polypeptide with a molecular weight of 145,000 was considered to be the major capsid protein.