Distinct labeling of host and viral genomes highlights redistribution of nuclear proteins during HSV-1 infection

HSV-1 infection is linked to a redistribution of nuclear proteins on the host genome, including depletion of ICP0 targets and Pol II/proteasome with increased DNA damage response and nuclear pore associations.

• Why it matters: How host-genome–associated proteins change during HSV-1 infection is poorly understood, limiting insight into how the virus reorganizes nuclear functions beyond viral genome binding.
• What they did: The study adapted aniPOND to label and purify cellular and viral nascent DNA, then used mass spectrometry to compare protein enrichment on host versus viral genomes during infection.
• The result: Cellular transcription, DNA replication, and repair proteins are enriched on viral genomes after viral DNA replication begins, while ICP0 targets, Pol II, and the proteasome are depleted from the host genome and DNA damage response/nuclear pore protein associations increase, with evidence of disrupted ribosome biogenesis.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.