ORF10 protein belongs to the herpesvirus UL49 gene family and is a homolog of the herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) protein VP16 (J Gen Virol 1986. 67 (Pt 9): 1759-1816).
VZV ORF40, the major capsid protein, is a homomultimer that self-assembles to form an icosahedral capsid (UniProtKB – Q4JQT5). Its HSV-1 ortholog is UL19.
VZV contains 5 unique genes (ORF1, ORF2, ORF13, ORF32, and ORF57) not present in herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Cohen et al (Virology. 1995 Feb 1;206(2):835-42) analysed ORF1 by the antibody to the epitope inserted in the ORF1 of recombinant virus.
During VZV infection, ORF9 is the most transcribed VZV gene (J Virol 2003. 77: 11718-11732., J Gen Virol 2005. 86: 2673-2684.). ORF9 protein is a 302 aa tegument protein expressed at late time post VZV infection and is a member of herpesvirus UL49 gene family (J Gen Virol 1986. 67 (Pt 9): 1759-1816).
VZV ORF49 (UniProtKB – Q77NP3) is a virion tegument protein. Sadaoka et al found that complex formation between ORF44 and ORF49 is required for the efficient production of infectious progeny virus.
VZV ORF7 (UniProtKB – Q6QCP9) is the ortholog of HSV-1 protein UL51. Zhang et al showed that ORF7 is required for viral replication in skin organ cultures (a skin tropism factor)
VZV ORF54 assembles as a dodecamer and has a role in DNA packaging (UniProtKB – Q6QCK2). Its HSV-1 homolog is UL6. Visalli et al showed that the VZV ORF54 is essential for cleavage and packaging of viral DNA (J. Virol. July 2014 vol. 88 no. 14 7973-7986).
The VZV DNA polymerase has two subunits, ORF16 and ORF28 (Nature Reviews Microbiology 12, 197–210 (2014)). The VZV ORF16 (UniProtKB – Q6QCN9) has a HSV-1 ortholog UL42.
ORF63 protein is 278 aa tegument protein expressed as an immediate-early protein (J Gen Virol 1986. 67 (Pt 9): 1759-1816, J Virol 1995. 69: 4274-4282) and a homolog of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) ICP22.
The envelope glycoprotein I of VZV, gI (UniProtKB – Q775H9) is an ortholog of HSV-1 protein US7. Mallory et al showed that the expression of ORF67 gene product is required for efficient VZV replication (J Infect Dis (1998) 178 (Supplement_1): S22-S26.).
ORF47 protein is a tegument protein which possesses a kinase activity (J Gen Virol 1994. 75 (Pt 2): 317-326, Virology 1992. 191: 9-18) and is a homolog of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) UL13, human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) UL97 and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) BFLF4 protein kinases (J Virol 1989. 63: 450-455).
The ORF32 encodes a protein of 16 kDa located in the cytosol of virus-infected cells and post – translationally modified by the ORF47 protein kinase.
The ORF3 encodes a predicted 179 amino acid protein with a potential role in gene expression. Several studies showed ORF3 protein as dispensable for viral replication and establishment of latency.
The ORF53, which is predicted to be a tegument protein, consists of 331 amino acids and plays a critical role in cytoplasmic virus egress. ORF53 participates in the final step of tegumentation and envelope acquisition within the host cytoplasm.
Open reading frame 68 (ORF68) of Varicella zoster encodes for essential, most immunogenic and most abundant glycoprotein E (gE).
The ORF22 encodes for the inner tegument protein UL36 that plays multiple roles in the viral cycle.
The ORF50 gene of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encodes glycoprotein M which is conserved among all herpesviruses. VZV gM is predicted to be an eight-transmembrane envelope glycoprotein modified with a complex N-linked oligosaccharide.
VZV ORF36 is present in the central region of the UL segment and consists of 1026 nucleotides.
Immediate-early 62 protein (IE62) is a homolog of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) ICP4. These two proteins have conserved DNA bidnding domain,while not activation domain (J Virol 1993. 67: 4246-4251).
Open reading frame 37 (ORF37) of Varicella zoster encodes for envelope glycoprotein H (gH). VZV gH is a 118kDa type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein highly conserved among other alphaherpesviruses.