Expression and characterization of equine herpesvirus 1 glycoprotein D in mammalian cell lines.

Equine herpesvirus 1 glycoprotein D (EHV-1 gD) expressed constitutively in mammalian cell lines had similar electrophoretic mobility to gD produced in EHV-1 infected cells but lacked a possibly complexed higher molecular weight form seen in the latter. Recombinant gD was N-terminally cleaved at the same site as gD in EHV-1 infected cells and expression was associated with enhanced levels of cell-cell fusion, indicating a role for EHV-1 gD in cell-to-cell transmission of virus.