Herpes simplex virus-induced changes in cellular and adenovirus RNA metabolism in an adenovirus type 5-transformed human cell line.

We used the viral transcripts (designated Ad-RNA) that accumulated in the cytoplasm of adenovirus type 5-transformed human embryonic kidney cells (cell line 291-31) as models for cellular RNAs to examine how herpes simplex virus modifies cellular RNA metabolism. Infection of 293-31 cells with herpes simplex virus type 1 strain 17 lead to extensive inhibition of Ad-RNA accumulation by 4 h postinfection. The major part of this inhibition was due to an immediate early or alpha gene function, which reduced the rate of transcription of Ad-RNA within the nuclei of the infected cells. In addition, host polyadenylic acid-containing RNA accumulation and rRNA accumulation were affected, but to a lesser extent and at lower rate than Ad-RNA accumulation. In conjunction with previous data, our experimental data allowed us to propose a general scheme for how herpes simplex virus type 1 alters the metabolism of cellular RNA, the possible mechanisms for these changes, and how they correlate with the regulation of herpes simplex virus gene expression.