Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1)

Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), are two members of the herpesvirus family, Herpesviridae, that infect humans. According to the World Health Organization 67% of the world population under the age of 50 have HSV-1. Symptoms of herpes simplex virus infection include watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes of the mouth, lips, nose or genitals. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the prototypical herpesvirus, has an icosahedral nucleocapsid surrounded by a proteinaceous tegument and a lipoprotein envelope. As in tailed bacteriophages, the icosahedral symmetry of the capsid is broken at one of the 12 vertices, which is occupied by a dodecameric ring of portal protein, UL6, instead of a pentamer of the capsid protein, UL19.