Deoxyribonucleases in herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 infected primary rabbit kidney cells

In primary rabbit kidney cells infected with herpes simplex virus four different neutral deoxyribonuclease activities can be detected by means of the deoxyribonuclease assay in DNA-containing polyacrylamide gels following their separation by disc-electrophoresis. The method is suitable to follow independently the change in each activity of the different enzymes using only about 5 X 10(5) cells for each assay during the time-course of infection. Under these conditions one enzyme activity is constant, two disappear while the activity of a fourth one present only in infected cells, increases.