We examined the influence of inactivation of various genes located in the unique short (U(S)) region of pseudorabies virus on virus replication and assembly in porcine nasal mucosa explant cultures. The following strains were used: the virulent wild-type strain NIA-3, and strains derived from NIA-3 containing a mutation inactivating the genes encoding either the US3-encoded protein kinase (PK), gG, gD, gI, gE, the 28 kDa ('28K') protein (single mutant), or the 28K and 11 kDa ('11K') proteins (double mutant). In addition a wild-type rescuant was used, which was generated by marker rescue from a PK- mutant. All virus strains infected nasal epithelium and had invaded the stroma after approximately 24 h. The morphogenesis in nasal epithelium cells of two PK- mutants showed the most striking differences compared to the parent NIA-3 strain and the other mutant strains. The changes could be ascribed to the US3-encoded PK because the rescue mutant showed a similar morphogenesis to wild-type NIA-3. The transmembrane transport of the PK- mutants was impaired at the outer nuclear membrane which resulted in an accumulation of virions in the perinuclear space. These results suggest that proteins, phosphorylated by the US3-encoded PK, are involved in debudding of virus particles at the outer nuclear membrane. This defect in the transport of the US3 mutant probably explains their reduced replication in vitro. The gG-, gD-, gI-, gE-, 28K- and 11K- mutant strains showed minor or no changes in viral assembly. Thus the reported decreased virulence of the gD-, gI- and gE- mutants was, in contrast to that of the PK- mutants, not associated with clear alterations in morphogenesis.