Purification of herpesvirus nucleocapsids by fluorocarbon extraction

Purified nucleocapsids were prepared from herpes simplex virus type-1 and herpes simplex virus type-2 infected cells, using a fluorocarbon extraction technique with Freon 113. Fifty to 85% of the total nucleocapsid population remained 'nucleated' or full in terms of the nucleic acid core making them useful as a source of DNA. CsCl banded DNA represented 30--40% of the theoretical yield of the total nucleocapsid population.