%0 Journal Article %A Jing, Xianghong %A He, Bin %T Characterization of the triplet repeats in the central domain of the γ134·5 protein of herpes simplex virus 1 %D 2005 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 86 %N 9 %P 2411-2419 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.81033-0 %I Microbiology Society, %X The γ 134·5 protein of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) consists of an amino-terminal domain, a central domain with triplet repeats (Ala–Thr–Pro) and a carboxyl-terminal domain. The triplet repeats are a unique feature of the γ 134·5 protein encoded by HSV-1, but the number of repeats varies among different strains. Notably, the central domain containing the triplet repeats is implicated in neuroinvasion. In this report, it has been shown that partial or full deletion of triplet repeats, i.e. from ten to either three or zero, in the γ 134·5 protein has no effect on the virus response to interferon. The triplet deletion mutants replicate efficiently in CV-1 and mouse 10T1/2 cells. However, in mouse 3T6 cells, these mutants grow with delayed growth kinetics. This decrease in growth, compared with wild-type HSV-1(F), does not result from failure of the virus to suppress the RNA-dependent protein kinase response, but rather from a delay in virus release or egress. Accordingly, these mutant viruses are predominantly present within infected cells. These results indicate that deletions in the central domain of the γ 134·5 protein impair virus egress, but not virus response to interferon. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.81033-0