Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is an enveloped, large linear and double-stranded DNA (~150 kb) virus in the family Herpesviridae. There are two HSV species: Herpes Simplex Virus Type I (HSV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus Type II (HSV-2), both of which can infect humans and cause diseases. HSV genome replicates by means of a rolling circle mechanism which forms head-to-tail concatamers. In the large genome of HSV, about half of the sequences are non-essential genes, which means they can be replaced with one or multiple transgenes.
It can be applied in:
- Gene transfer and function research
- Act as a powerful tool in transynaptic neural tracing studies
- Develop oncolytic vectors that could be used in cancer treatment
