Detection of herpes simplex virus-related antigens in the nuclei and cytoplasm of biochemically transformed cells with peroxidase/anti-peroxidase immunological staining and indirect immunofluorescence.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-related antigens have been demonstrated in the nuclei and cytoplasm of human and mouse cells biochemically transformed by ultraviolet light-irradiated HSV. This was accomplished by using peroxidase/anti-peroxidase immunological staining and indirect immunofluorescence with rabbit antisera that had high neutralizing titers against the HSV-specific thymidine kinase activity and virus infectivity. HSV-1 antisera reacted with antigens in cells biochemically transformed by type 1 HSV, but not with those of cells biochemically transformed by type 2 HSV. Similarly, HSV-2 antisera reacted with antigens in cells biochemically transformed by HSV-2, but not with those in cells biochemically transformed by HSV-1. In contrast, herpes virus-related antigens were detected in cells cytolytically infected with HSV-1 and with HSV-2 by either type 1 or type 2 HSV antisera. These observations suggest that the antigens detected in the biochemically transformed cells were a type-specific subset of the HSV-related antigens synthesized in cells undergoing productive infection by HSV-1 and HSV-2.