Primary envelopment of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus at the nucleoplasmic reticulum

Herpesvirus capsids assemble in the cell nucleus but are too large to exit via nuclear pores. Instead, they bud into the inner nuclear membrane to acquire a provisional lipid envelope that is shed through fusion with the outer nuclear membrane, delivering the capsid to the cytoplasm for subsequent steps in assembly and egress. These nuclear membranes are dynamic, with the ability to fold into invaginations that access the nuclear interior. Here, we demonstrate that during Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) replication, nuclear membrane infolding increases, coinciding with recruitment of a host enzyme required for PtdCho synthesis at these sites. We observed accumulation of KSHV capsids at infoldings of the inner nuclear membrane and tracked the association and trafficking of fluorescent viral particles through these structures by live cell microscopy. This complements a more well-established mechanism of KSHV egress at the nuclear periphery and suggests versatility in nuclear egress mechanisms.