Identification and preliminary mapping with monoclonal antibodies of a herpes simplex virus 2 glycoprotein lacking a known type 1 counterpart.

The properties of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)-specific proteins reactive with monoclonal antibody H966 derived from mice immunized with HSV-2 strain G are reported. The reactive proteins contained in infected cell lysates subjected to electrophoresis in denaturing gels and transferred to nitrocellulose sheets form a relatively sharp band characteristic of Mr 124,000 proteins and a diffuse, more slowly migrating band. Antigens reactive with H966 were detected on the surface of viable, unfixed cells. The electrophoretic mobility of the H966-reactive proteins made in the presence of tunicamycin was more rapid than that of the proteins made in the absence of the drug. Direct evidence that the HSV-2-specific antigen was a glycoprotein emerged from purification of [14C]glucosamine-labeled proteins with similar electrophoretic mobilities by immunoabsorption to H966 bound to Sepharose beads. Analyses of the reactivity of HSV-1 X HSV-2 recombinants indicated the gene specifying the glycoprotein maps in the S component of the DNA. The glycoprotein detected by H966 has no known counterpart in HSV-1 and corresponds to the glycoprotein previously designated as gC of HSV-2 and reported to map to the right of gC specified by HSV-1. Inasmuch as an HSV-2 gene colinear with HSV-1 gC has been reported to specify a glycoprotein currently designated as gC of HSV-2 by Para et al. [J. Virol. 45, 1223-1227 (1983)], the glycoprotein identified by H966 should be designated as gG.