Processing of the Oligosaccharide Chains of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoproteins

The presence of oligosaccharide chains (glycans) with specific structures appears to be required for the expression of several functions associated with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-l) glycoproteins. Among these functions are infectious virus yield, virion infectivity, virion egress, and virus-induced cell fusion. This chapter focuses on the processing of glycans of the glycoproteins specified by HSV-l, on the correlations that have been established between glycan structure and expression of viral functions, and on the available evidence that HSV-l proteins are glycosylated mainly by enzymes of cellular origin. A detailed description of the HSV genes specifying HSV glycoproteins and characterization of the structure and function of HSV glycoproteins are given by Spear (Chapter 7, this volume).