Entry of alphaherpesviruses into the cell

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) represents the most comprehensive example of virus-receptor interaction in the Herpesviridae family, and the prototype virus encoding multipartite entry genes. Whereas small enveloped viruses package the functions required for entry and fusion into one or two fusion glycoproteins, in HSV the same functions are distributed over several distinct glycoproteins, each with a specialized activity. In addition, HSV encodes a highly sophisticated system for promoting and blocking fusion between the viral envelope and plasma membrane. Because the most obvious models of virus entry into the cell do not fit with the HSV complexity, and despite our detailed knowledge of the HSV receptors and of the crystal structure of glycoprotein D (gD), the receptor-binding glycoprotein, HSV entry is still, in part, a puzzle.