Alloherpesviridae

Structure

Viruses in Alloherpesviridae are enveloped, with icosahedral and spherical to pleomorphic geometries, and T=16 symmetry. The diameter is around 150–200 nm. Genomes are linear and non-segmented, around 134-248kb in length.

Life cycle

Viral replication is nuclear, and is lysogenic. Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral glycoproteins to host receptors, which mediates endocytosis. DNA-templated transcription is the method of transcription. Fish serve as the natural host. Transmission routes are passive diffusion.

Genomics

Several genomes have been sequenced. Cyprinid herpesviruses 1, 2 and 3 (CyHV1, CyHV2 and CyHV3) cause disease in common carp, goldfish and koi. Their genomes are 291144, 290304 and 295146 base pairs in size. The overall organisation common to all three and consists of a unique central region flanked by a direct repeat at each end. 137, 150, and 155 unique, functional protein coding genes are present in the unique regions: of these six, four, and eight are duplicated in the terminal repeat. The genomes share 120 orthologous genes in a largely colinear arrangement. Up to 55 of these latter genes are also conserved in the other members of Cyvirus; Anguillid herpesvirus 1. CyHV1, CyHV2, and CyHV3 have five, six and five families of paralogous genes.