Although the seven viral proteins required for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA replication have been identified, the mechanism by which viral DNA synthesis is regulated is unclear. HSV-1 DNA replication is thought to occur in two stages: origin-dependent DNA replication (stage I) mediated by the origin binding protein (OBP), followed by origin-and OBP-independent DNA replication (stage II). The mechanism that facilitates the switch from stage I to stage II is unknown; however, it must involve the loss of OBP function or OBP itself from the replication initiation complex. Previous studies from this laboratory identified a transcript (UL8.5) and protein (OBPC) that are in frame with and comprise the C terminus of the gene specifying OBP. Because of its DNA binding ability, OBPC has been hypothesized to mediate the switch from stage I to stage II. Here, we identify a second protein (OBPC-2) that is also in frame with the C terminus of OBP but comprises a smaller portion of the protein. We demonstrate that the protein originally identified (OBPC-1) is a cathepsin B-mediated cleavage product of OBP, while OBPC-2 may be the product of the UL8.5 transcript. We further demonstrate that the cleavage of OBP to yield OBPC-1 is dependent upon viral DNA replication. These results suggest that cleavage may be a mechanism by which OBP levels and/or activity are regulated during infection.The 152-kb herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genome encodes at least 84 proteins, 7 of which are early genes essential for viral DNA replication in vitro (49). Functionally, the proteins specified by the UL5, UL8, and UL52 genes comprise the helicase/primase complex, which unwinds viral DNA prior to replication. The UL29 gene encodes infected cell protein 8 (ICP8), a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding protein that stabilizes replicating ssDNA. The products of the UL30 and UL42 genes comprise the viral DNA polymerase and polymerase accessory protein, respectively, which together replicate the viral genome. The product of the UL9 gene is the origin binding protein (OBP), the viral DNA replication initiator protein, and the subject of this paper.Initiator proteins are functionally similar in all life forms and are characterized by their ability to bind to specific sequences in origin DNA. This binding results in unwinding of the origin at a site that usually contains an AT-rich sequence. DNA binding and unwinding are followed by the recruitment of the DNA replication machinery. As a means of regulating the DNA replication process, the activities of initiator proteins themselves are highly regulated. For example, the activities of many viral initiator proteins including simian virus 40 large T antigen (44), polyomavirus large T antigen (59), human papilloma virus E1 (27), bovine papillomavirus E1 (65), and the NS1 protein of minute virus of mice (11) are regulated by differential phosphorylation. The activities of some initiator proteins such as the bacteriophage lambda O (60-62) and bovine papillomavirus E1 (28) are also regulated by u...