To investigate how cohesin affects HSV-1 replication compartment development and viral transcription, we analyzed the effects of SMC1 and Rad21 knockdown on the transcription of viral genes representing each kinetic class (immediate-early, early, and late) including ICP0, ICP4, and ICP8 at 6 h post-infection in human primary fibroblast BJ cells. Here, RAD21 is linked to infection.