title: Glycoprotein H of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) forms a stable complex with the HCMV UL115 gene product.
abstract: The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL75 gene product is the homologue of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein H (gH), a virion glycoprotein that is essential for infectivity and which is conserved among members of the alpha-, beta- and gamma-herpesviruses. It has previously been shown that HSV-1 gH forms a stable complex with HSV-1 gL, the product of the UL1 gene, and the formation of this complex facilitates the cell surface expression of gH. None of the open reading frames within the HCMV genome encode a product with discernible sequence homology with HSV-1 gL, but an examination of the arrangement of conserved genes in HCMV suggested that the UL115 gene is a 'positional homologue' of HSV-1 UL1 which, like UL1, encodes a small secreted glycoprotein. Co-expression of HCMV gH (the UL75 gene product) and the UL115 gene product revealed that these proteins form a disulphide-linked complex and that the formation of this complex results in cell surface expression of gH. This complex is analogous to the gH:gL complex of HSV-1 and the HCMV UL115 gene product is therefore the functional homologue of HSV-1 gL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, U.K.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kaye
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Gompels
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Minson
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C077406:UL115 protein, Human herpesvirus 5; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C044200:glycoprotein H, herpes simplex virus type 1; C077407:glycoprotein L, Human herpesvirus 1