Nucleotide sequence of the herpes simplex virus type 2 gene encoding the protease and capsid protein ICP35.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the protease and ICP35 capsid protein of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 strain G has been determined. The gene consisits of a 1908 bp open reading frame capable of encoding 636 amino acids. Comparative nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene with published HSV-1 sequences revealed that the HSV-2 nucleic acid segment most likely encodes two distinct proteins. The first protein is the HSV-2 protease, which is required for the assembly of the herpes virus capsid. The second protein has been previously designated as ICP35 in HSV-1, and belongs to the family of herpesvirus capsid proteins.