title: Reconstitution of recombination-dependent DNA synthesis in herpes simplex virus 1.
abstract: The repair of double-strand DNA breaks by homologous recombination is essential for the maintenance of genome stability. In herpes simplex virus 1, double-strand DNA breaks may arise as a consequence of replication fork collapse at sites of oxidative damage, which is known to be induced upon viral infection. Double-strand DNA breaks are also generated by cleavage of viral a sequences by endonuclease G during genome isomerization. We have reconstituted a system using purified proteins in which strand invasion is coupled with DNA synthesis. In this system, the viral single-strand DNA-binding protein promotes assimilation of single-stranded DNA into a homologous supercoiled plasmid, resulting in the formation of a displacement loop. The 3' terminus of the invading DNA serves as a primer for long-chain DNA synthesis promoted by the viral DNA replication proteins, including the polymerase and helicase-primase. Efficient extension of the invading primer also requires a DNA-relaxing enzyme (eukaryotic topoisomerase I or DNA gyrase). The viral polymerase by itself is insufficient for DNA synthesis, and a DNA-relaxing enzyme cannot substitute for the viral helicase-primase. The viral single-strand DNA-binding protein, in addition to its role in the invasion process, is also required for long-chain DNA synthesis. Form X, a topologically distinct, positively supercoiled form of displacement-loop, does not serve as a template for DNA synthesis. These observations support a model in which recombination and replication contribute toward maintaining viral genomic stability by repairing double-strand breaks. They also account for the extensive branching observed during viral replication in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami School of Medicine, P.O. Box 016129, Miami, FL 33101-6129, USA.
authors.forename: Amitabh V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Nimonkar
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Boehmer
mesh_terms: D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013698:Templates, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C045462:ICP8 protein, Simplexvirus; D014764:Viral Proteins