# HERPESVIRUS PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND VIRION ASSEMBLY

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 1989 · $218,834

## Abstract

Our long-term objective is to aid in the development of new diagnostic and
therapeutic approaches to herpesvirus related diseases of man.  We plan to
accomplish this through a more complete understanding of the synthesis,
structure and function of specific viral proteins that are essential for
herpesvirus replication.  The studies proposed here will be done with human
and simian strains of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and will focus on two sets of
virus proteins.  The first is comprised of proteins associated with virus
particles, and includes (i) the B-capsid assembly protein, which has been
shown to have a slowly processed precursor and appears to be involved in
capsid assembly, (ii) the enveloped glycoproteins, which are of interest in
terms of their biogenesis and function, and of importance as subunit
vaccine candidates, (iii) the basic phosphoprotein, which is a major
tegument constituent, the principal phosphate acceptor in vitro for the
particle-associated kinase, and is unusually reactive in "Western"
immunoassays of AIDS sera, and (iv) the virion-associated protein kinase,
which can be resolved into two activities based on differences in size and
behavior during ion-exchange chromatography.  The second set of proteins
includes two early, nuclear DNA-binding species, DB51/53 and DB129/140.

The specific aims are to (i) produce antibodies and use them to study these
proteins and others, (ii) study the synthesis, processing and function of
the assembly protein and envelope glycoproteins, (iii) determine whether
and how DB51 and DB129 interact with DNA, (iv) establish whether transition
B-capsids are DNA packaging intermediates, and (v) obtain oligonucleotide
probes for specific CMV genes by sequencing peptides prepared from the
proteins and screening expression-vector libraries of CMV DNA.

Procedures used will include virus and protein purification; antibody
production; colloidal gold immunoelectronmicroscopy; active-site
radiolabeling with enzyme-specific reagents; protein analyses by SDS-PAGE,
HPLC and "Western' immunoassays; and recombinant DNA methodologies for
producing, propagating and characterizing specific fragments of CMV DNA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3125538
- **Project number:** 5R01AI013718-13
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FTMTDMBR29C7
- **Principal Investigator:** D Wade Gibson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $218,834
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1977-09-01 → 1991-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3125538

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3125538, HERPESVIRUS PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND VIRION ASSEMBLY (5R01AI013718-13). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3125538. Licensed CC0.

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