A mutant herpesvirus protein leads to a block in nuclear localization of other viral proteins.

The herpes simplex virus mutants KOS1.1 ts756 and HFEM tsLB2 express temperature-sensitive ICP4 proteins that are not localized properly to the cell nucleus at the nonpermissive temperature. In these infected cells at the nonpermissive temperature, nuclear localization of at least two other viral proteins, ICP0 and ICP8, is impaired. Replacement of the mutated sequences in the ICP4 gene of tsLB2 restored proper nuclear localization of all of the proteins. The ICP0 and ICP8 proteins expressed in cells transfected with their individual genes were localized to the cell nucleus. Therefore, in infected cells, the mutant ICP4 gene product appears to be the primary defect which leads to the block in nuclear localization of the other proteins. One viral protein, ICP27, was not inhibited for nuclear localization in these cells. These data indicate that there are at least two pathways for nuclear localization of HSV proteins, one of which is inhibited by the mutant ICP4 protein. The mutant ICP4 protein may define a probe for one of the pathways of nuclear localization of proteins.