Figure 1.

Overview of the herpesvirus replication cycle. An incoming virion attaches to the host cellular membrane (1) and fuses with it, releasing the capsid into the cytoplasm (2). Some of the outer protein layer, termed the tegument, dissociates upon entry, and the capsid traffics to the nucleus via microtubules (3). The capsid then docks at the nuclear pore and releases the DNA genome into the nucleus (4), where the incoming genome undergoes replication (5). Progeny genomes are packaged into capsids decorated with auxiliary proteins (e.g., the capsid-associated tegument complex) (6) and bud through the nuclear envelope with the help of the nuclear egress complex into the cytoplasm (7). Capsids gain a tegument layer (8) and acquire a protein-studded lipid envelope by budding at vesicles derived from trans-Golgi network and endosomes (9). The mature virions use the exocytic pathway to exit the cell (10). The figure was created with BioRender.com, accessed on 19 September 2021.