Recurrences of herpes simplex virus infections afflict millions of Americans. Recurrent infections also serve as an important source of communicable virus. Clinical disease is especially important in the immunocompromised patients and in recurrences during childbirth. The applicant proposes to use a mouse foot pad model to study significant molecular events in the establishment, maintenance and reactivation phases of the herpes simplex virus cycle. The in vivo studies focus on the LAT cap region and LAT promoter, which is the only promoter active in latent infection. These studies include the specific mechanism for neuronal specific transcription in mouse neural tissues as well as the mechanism responsible for keeping the LAT promoter active during latency when all other promoters are shut off. Studies on the LAT intron will further document the molecular nature of this RNA including additional proofs that it is an intron by mutation of the splicing signals. Other experiments may provide some insight into why it is so stable. A fundamental switch in the virus life cycle between productive and latent infections may occur at the immediate-early stage of infection. Several studies are proposed to determine if there is site specific repression or inactivation of those genes in latently infected neurons.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI028338-08
Application #
2671956
Study Section
Virology Study Section (VR)
Project Start
1989-08-01
Project End
2001-06-30
Budget Start
1998-07-01
Budget End
1999-06-30
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Microbiology/Immun/Virology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
119132785
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Berthomme, H; Thomas, J; Texier, P et al. (2001) Enhancer and long-term expression functions of herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated promoter are both located in the same region. J Virol 75:4386-93
Berthomme, H; Lokensgard, J; Yang, L et al. (2000) Evidence for a bidirectional element located downstream from the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated promoter that increases its activity during latency. J Virol 74:3613-22
Lokensgard, J R; Berthomme, H; Feldman, L T (1997) The latency-associated promoter of herpes simplex virus type 1 requires a region downstream of the transcription start site for long-term expression during latency. J Virol 71:6714-9
Dobson, A T; Margolis, T P; Gomes, W A et al. (1995) In vivo deletion analysis of the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcript promoter. J Virol 69:2264-70
Farrell, M J; Margolis, T P; Gomes, W A et al. (1994) Effect of the transcription start region of the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcript promoter on expression of productively infected neurons in vivo. J Virol 68:5337-43
Lokensgard, J R; Bloom, D C; Dobson, A T et al. (1994) Long-term promoter activity during herpes simplex virus latency. J Virol 68:7148-58
Farrell, M J; Hill, J M; Margolis, T P et al. (1993) The herpes simplex virus type 1 reactivation function lies outside the latency-associated transcript open reading frame ORF-2. J Virol 67:3653-5
Farrell, M J; Dobson, A T; Feldman, L T (1991) Herpes simplex virus latency-associated transcript is a stable intron. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 88:790-4
Dobson, A T; Margolis, T P; Sedarati, F et al. (1990) A latent, nonpathogenic HSV-1-derived vector stably expresses beta-galactosidase in mouse neurons. Neuron 5:353-60