Effect of incorporation of 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine into HSV-1 DNA on virion sensitivity to ultraviolet light

First generation progeny herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) virions grown in the presence of 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine (IdUrd) were irradiated with either 254 or 302 nm ultraviolet (u.v.) light. The kinetics of virus inactivation revealed decreased sensitivity of IdUrd-substituted virions to irradiation with 302 nm light under all conditions examined, and with 254 nm u.v. light when substituted and control virions were irradiated at equal particle concentrations. Comparison of virus survival after irradiation measured in Vero or Xeroderma Pigmentosum (complementation group A) cells indicated that cellular repair of ultraviolet-induced lesions was not a significant factor in the observed decrease in u.v. sensitivity. IdUrd substitution altered neither the formation of ultraviolet-induced thymidine photoproducts nor the ability of irradiated virions to express delayed early viral enzymes (thymidine kinase, DNA polymerase). It is suggested that nucleocapsid proteins or the highly ordered structure of IdUrd-substituted virions play a key role in u.v. desensitization, either by the formation of non-lethal photoproducts or by the prevention of the formation of DNA-uracilyl free radicals.