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Herpes simplex virus latency in the nervous system--a new model.

Permissive herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in tissue culture results in host cell destruction. Latent HSV infection in vivo occurs in neurons of peripheral sensory ganglia (PSG) and it therefore can not take place in neurons in which the virus has completed a lytic replication cycle similar to that present in vitro. Our hypothesis, based on experimental data and observations in humans, suggests that establishment of latent infection and reactivation of HSV-1 does not involve neuronal cell loss. Latency is established in neurons in which the virus does not replicate and is determined, in part, by the tissue levels of a herpes transactivating protein (Vmw65) that is a component of the viral tegument. We also suggest that reactivation of latent infection does not involve destruction of neurons and is due to replication of virus at the peripheral mucocutaneous tissues to where virus or viral DNA have been transported from the nervous tissue. Alternatively, reactivation is initiated in the PSG using a replication cycle which does not involve irreversible damage to neurons. This model explains the lack of damage to neurons which continue to serve as permanent reservoirs of latent virus for the entire life of the host.

Animals↗

Retention of nonlinear viral DNA during herpes simplex virus latency in vitro.

We investigated the state of the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) genome during latency in vitro. Latent DNA was present in the cell nucleus in a nonlinear configuration. The joint fragment was represented at approximately double the molar concentration of fragments from unique regions, indicating that genome termini had fused. The HSV-2 genome copy number was estimated to be between 1.5 and 8, with a mean value of 4.5 per latently infected cell. Nonlinear HSV DNA can therefore exist during latency both in vivo and in vitro.

DNA, Viral↗

Herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation in isolated rat sensory neurons.

An in vitro herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency model has been established using neurons isolated from dissociated rat fetus sensory ganglia as the host cell. Rat fetal neuron cells were pretreated for 24 hr at 37 degrees with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and human leukocyte interferon, infected with HSV-1 (approximately 2.5 plaque-forming units/cell), and treated for 7 days with the same inhibitor combination. Infectious HSV-1 became undetectable 3 days postinfection and remained undetectable during the remainder of the inhibitor treatment. After removal of inhibitors on day 7, infectious virus remained undetectable for 2-7 days; subsequently, virus replication ensued and neuronal cells were destroyed. Incubation of inhibitor-treated, infected neuron cells at 40.5 degrees after removal of inhibitors resulted in extension of the latent period to at least 15 days. HSV-1 was reactivated from latently infected neurons by reducing the incubation temperature from 40.5 to 37 degrees and virus-specific cytopathology was observed in neurons within 96 hr after reducing temperature. This in vitro model system will provide the first system to analyze, in a primary cell type of neuronal origin, the state of the HSV genome during establishment and maintenance of the latent state and during virus reactivation.

Animals↗

Transcripts from the Epstein-Barr virus BamHI A fragment are detectable in all three forms of virus latency.

An unexpected feature of the latency II form of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection seen in the epithelial tumor nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the presence of spliced polyadenylated RNAs encoded from the BamHI A fragment of the viral genome and running in the opposite orientation to several BamHI-A lytic cycle genes. The importance of these BamHI-A transcripts and the specificity of their association with NPC remain to be determined. In this study, we examined the extent to which such RNAs are present in other transcriptionally distinct forms of EBV latency seen in B cells. Two independent assays of BamHI-A transcription were employed: amplification across defined splice junctions in cDNAs, using the polymerase chain reaction, and in situ hybridization with a radiolabeled riboprobe specific for a putative open reading frame downstream of these splice junctions. Such methods, which easily detected BamHI-A RNAs in fresh NPC biopsies and transplantable NPC lines, also revealed consistent expression of these transcripts in all EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines displaying the highly restricted latency I form of infection (BamHI-F promoter usage) as well as in all EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) displaying the latency III form of infection (BamHI-C/W promoter usage). Expression in established LCLs, occurring irrespective of virus producer status, was not a consequence of continued in vitro passage; thus, appropriately spliced BamHI-A transcripts could be amplified from normal B cells within 1 day of their experimental infection in vitro, along with BamHI-C/W promoter-initiated but not BamHI-F promoter-initiated mRNAs. In situ hybridization both on Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines and on LCLs showed that essentially every cell contained BamHI-A transcripts, although at levels apparently lower than those observed in NPC. We conclude that expression of the BamHI-A RNAs is a consistent feature shared by all known forms of latent EBV infection.

Animals↗

Japanese encephalitis virus latency following congenital infection in mice.

Latent Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection was shown in inapparently congenitally infected Swiss albino mice after their mothers had been given JEV intraperitoneally during pregnancy. Only one of 37 (2.7%) of the baby mice showed persistence of infectious virus at 5 weeks of age. Reactivation of JEV in Swiss albino mice was demonstrated by stimulation with allogeneic spleen cells from Parks strain mice at 21 weeks of age; reactivation was demonstrated in 41% of the inapparently infected mice. The spleen cells of congenitally infected mice had depressed [3H]thymidine uptake following stimulation with concanavalin A, and depressed ability to induce a graft-versus-host response.

Animals↗

Variable immortalizing potential and frequent virus latency in blood-derived T-cell clones infected with human T-cell leukemia virus type I.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected T cells expanded in vitro by single-cell cloning provide a unique system for investigating virus-cell interactions in nonimmortalized T cells. By analysis of clones generated randomly from the blood of virus carriers, we confirm that CD4 T cells are the major reservoir of HTLV-I in vivo and show that most infected cells contain a single integrated provirus. Contrary to the situation in HTLV-I immortalized cell lines, the HTLV-I provirus was found to be transcriptionally silent in a high proportion of randomly generated T-cell clones and could not be reactivated by mitogenic stimulation. The spontaneous proliferation previously documented in HTLV-I-infected T-cell clones was not observed in silently infected cells, and therefore correlates directly with the expression of tax and other viral genes. The only cytokine mRNA found to be significantly elevated in the virus-producing clones was interleukin-6; however, receptor-blocking experiments argue against a role for IL-6 in the virus-induced cell proliferation. We observed a striking variation in the ability of individual HTLV-I-producing clones to immortalize fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes. This ability did not correlate with the levels of viral mRNA expression, gag p24 production, spontaneous proliferation, or tax-transactivation, possibly suggesting a role for host cell factors as determinants of viral infectivity or immortalization. Studies to elucidate the basis of this phenotypic heterogeneity should enhance our understanding of viral spread and pathogenesis.

Blotting, Southern↗

The relationship of herpes simplex virus latency associated transcript expression to genome copy number: a quantitative study using laser capture microdissection.

To investigate the quantitative relationship of latent herpes simplex virus (HSV) genomes to the expression of latency associated transcripts (LATs) we used a combination of laser capture microdissection (LCM), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and quantitative real-time PCR to determine the number of HSV genomes in individual neurons of the mouse trigeminal ganglion (TG) during viral latency. Both LAT-positive and LAT-negative neurons detected by in situ hybridization (ISH) and lifted by LCM contained HSV genomes detected by PCR for HSV ICP47. The number of genomes/cell determined by real-time PCR with probes for HSV UL44 following LCM demonstrated a Poisson distribution with a predicted mean count of 178 genomes/LAT-positive neuron, and 68 genomes/LAT-negative neuron. The range was similar between the LAT-positive and LAT-negative neurons, and there was a substantial overlap in the distributions. These results suggest that the expression of LATs in an amount that is detectable by ISH does not depend only on the number of HSV genomes in the cell, and by implication suggests that neuron-specific factors play a role in the regulation of LAT expression during latency.

Animals↗

The 5' and 3' limits of transcription in the pseudorabies virus latency associated transcription unit.

While latent in sensory neurons of infected pigs, pseudorabies virus expresses transcripts from a limited genomic area. These RNAs are transcribed from the strand opposite to that which encodes the pseudorabies immediate-early protein. Using a combination of in situ nucleic acid hybridization performed on latently infected pig trigeminal ganglia and DNA sequencing, 5' and 3' limits of transcription for the pseudorabies LAT transcription unit have been defined. The 5' limit of transcription has been localized to a NarI-BamHI subfragment of the BamHI-6 fragment. Several promoter elements in the correct orientation for the transcript are present including consensus TATA and CAAT boxes and an SP1 site. The 3' limit of transcription has been localized to a HindIII-KpnI subfragment of the BamHI-5 fragment which contains a consensus polyadenylation signal and two termination codones in the correct orientation. From these results we conclude that the region of pseudorabies virus DNA which is active during latency can be no longer than 12.6 kb and completely overlaps the gene encoding the pseudorabies immediate-early protein.

Animals↗

Prolongation of herpes simplex virus latency in cultured human cells by temperature elevation.

Treatment of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)-infected human fibroblast cells with cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) at 25 microgram/ml resulted in complete inhibition of virus replication. Removal of ara-C after 7 days of treatment ultimately resulted in renewed virus replication, but after a delay of at least 5 days. If however, the temperature was elevated from 37 degrees C to 39.5 to 40 degrees C at the time of ara-C reversal, infectious HSV-2 did not reappear. As long as the cultures were maintained at 39.5 to 40 degrees C (up to at least 128 days), HSV-2 was latent and infectious virus was undetectable. If the temperature was reduced to 37 degrees C at any time during the latent period, infectious virus was always reactivated, but only after a period of incubation at 37 degrees C of a least 11 days. Infectious-center assays performed with latent cultures indicated that only a very small fraction of cells could reactivate virus. The infectious-center titer did not show significant changes during much of the period of latency. This seemed to argue against the possibility that the latent cultures were synthesizing very small amounts of infectious virus. Additional studies were aimed at determining the minimum incubation period at 37 degrees C required to reactivate infectious HSV-2. Latent cultures reduced from 39.5 to 40 degrees C to 37 degrees C for less than 96 h did not yield infectious HSV-2, but those incubated at 37 degrees C for 96 h or more did.

Culture Techniques↗

Herpes virus latency in sensory ganglia--a comparison with endogenous neuronal gene expression.

Central to infection by a majority of DNA viruses is the expression of encoded proteins that modify cell cycle. Viruses such as SV40 and Adenovirus viruses encode proteins that interact directly, or indirectly, with key cell cycle proteins such as CBP300 and the retinoblastoma gene product. However, neurons do not have a cell cycle as we generally describe it and this is also reflected in the difficulty in obtaining immortalised neuronal cultures. The replication strategies of viruses that infect post-mitotic cells such as neurons may be different from infection of other somatic cells. The life cycle for viral latency or slow infection of neurons appears to involve silencing or restricting expression of the viral genome until such times as dictated by the environment. These signals from the environment usually reflect cell stress, otherwise the cell appears to tolerate the existence of the virus genome. We will review the genomic structure of alphaherpesviruses in neurons and transcriptional control mechanisms that may regulate expression. Where appropriate we will contrast and compare virus and endogenous neuronal gene expression.

Animals↗

Viral genes modify herpes simplex virus latency both in mouse footpad and sensory ganglia.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 wild-type and 13 temperature-sensitive mutants have been examined for their ability to be recovered from latently infected Biozzi mice. After inoculation into the rear footpad, virus could be recovered from both the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the footpad (FP) at the site of inoculation (wt, ts 1, ts 2, ts 4, ts 6, ts 7 and ts 8), or from the DRG only (ts 11 and ts 13), or from FP only (ts 3, ts 9, ts 12). Two mutants (ts 5 and ts 10) have not been recovered from either site. Both DNA-positive and DNA-negative mutants have been shown to be capable of establishing latent infection.

Animals↗

Disruption of Epstein-Barr virus latency in the absence of phosphorylation of ZEBRA by protein kinase C.

ZEBRA protein converts Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection from the latent to the lytic state. The ability of ZEBRA to activate this switch is strictly dependent on the presence of serine or threonine at residue 186 of the protein (A. Francis, T. Ragoczy, L. Gradoville, A. El-Guindy, and G. Miller, J. Virol. 72:4543-4551, 1999). We investigated whether phosphorylation of ZEBRA protein at this site by a serine-threonine protein kinase was required for activation of an early lytic cycle viral gene, BMRF1, as a marker of disruption of latency. Previous studies suggested that phosphorylation of ZEBRA at S186 by protein kinase C (PKC) activated the protein (M. Baumann, H. Mischak, S. Dammeier, W. Kolch, O. Gires, D. Pich, R. Zeidler, H. J. Delecluse, and W. Hammerschmidt, J. Virol 72:8105-8114, 1998). Two residues of ZEBRA, T159 and S186, which fit the consensus for phosphorylation by PKC, were phosphorylated in vitro by this enzyme. Several isoforms of PKC (alpha, beta(1), beta(2), gamma, delta, and epsilon ) phosphorylated ZEBRA. All isoforms that phosphorylated ZEBRA in vitro were blocked by bisindolylmaleimide I, a specific inhibitor of PKC. Studies in cell culture showed that phosphorylation of T159 was not required for disruption of latency in vivo, since the T159A mutant was fully functional. Moreover, the PKC inhibitor did not block the ability of ZEBRA expressed from a transfected plasmid to activate the BMRF1 downstream gene. Of greatest importance, in vivo labeling with [(32)P]orthophosphate showed that the tryptic phosphopeptide maps of wild-type ZEBRA, Z(S186A), and the double mutant Z(T159A/S186A) were identical. Although ZEBRA is a potential target for PKC, in the absence of PKC agonists, ZEBRA is not constitutively phosphorylated in vivo by PKC at T159 or S186. Phosphorylation of ZEBRA by PKC is not essential for the protein to disrupt EBV latency.

Antigens, Viral↗