AbstractHerpesviruses are large double stranded DNA animal viruses with the distinguishing ability to establish latent, life‐long infections. To date, eight human herpesviruses that exhibit distinct biological and corresponding pathological/clinical properties have been identified. During their life cycles, herpesviruses execute an intricate chain of events geared towards optimizing their replication. This sets an interesting paradigm to study fundamental biological processes. This review summarizes recent developments in herpesvirus research with emphasis on genome transactions, particularly with respect to the prototypic herpes simplex virus type‐1. IUBMB Life, 55: 13‐22, 2003