Pseudorabies virus particles lacking tegument proteins pUL11 or pUL16 incorporate less full-length pUL36 than wild-type virus, but specifically accumulate a pUL36 N-terminal fragment.

Proteins of the virion tegument of alphaherpesviruses are involved in protein-protein interactions, which play important roles in virus morphogenesis. Seven single-gene deletion mutants of Pseudorabies virus were analysed for alterations in the overall composition of the virion beyond the loss of the targeted protein. The UL36 protein (pUL36) was present in equal amounts in wild-type virions and mutants lacking pUL21, pUL49, pUL51, pUS3 or pUS8. Virions lacking pUL11 or pUL16 incorporated less full-length pUL36 than wild-type particles, but contained increased amounts of an N-terminal fragment of pUL36 that is present only in traces in wild-type virus and the other mutants.