Ocular HSV-1 infection is a major cause of corneal scarring and blindness in the United States. The main goal of this study is to develop a subunit vaccine that prevents initial HSV-1 infection and completely eliminates eye disease and latency. In our preliminary results we have shown that a cocktail of 7 recombinantly expressed HSV-1 glycoproteins (gB, gC, gD, gE, gG, gH, gI), but no individual glycoprotein completely eliminated eye disease and the establishment of latency following HSV-1 ocular challenge. This high level of protection correlated with neutralizing antibody, CTL, and local ocular IL-2 and/or TNF-alpha. Our detailed specific aims to further elucidate the biological and immunological mechanisms by which a vaccine can protect against eye disease and latency include: 1. Optimize our glycoprotein mixture to provide the most efficient protection against primary ocular HSV-1 challenge in the mouse, especially against the establishment of latency. Mice vaccinated with various HSV-1 glycoprotein cocktails will be challenged ocularly with HSV-1. Vaccine effectiveness will be based on decreased establishment of latency, decreased eye disease, decreased virus replication in the eye and spread to the trigeminal ganglia and brain, and increased survival. This will allow us to determine the optimal combination of glycoproteins for maximum efficacy. 2. Test the hypothesis that in vaccinated mice both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell immune responses are required for optimal efficacy against ocular HSV-1 challenge. We will determine the ability of different vaccines, including the optical vaccine determined empirically in specific aim 1, to protect CD4 and C8 """"""""knockout"""""""" mice against ocular challenge. Vaccine experiments with passive antibody transfer will also be done. These studies should reveal the type or combination of types of immune response that provide the most efficacious protection. 3. Confirm the hypothesis that local IL-2 and/or TNF-alpha are important in protection against eye disease following ocular HSV-1 challenge. Using selected vaccines we will confirm our preliminary correlation between local IL-2 and/or local TNF-alpha responses, and optimal protection against eye disease and latency. Depletion experiments with anti-IL-2 and anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibodies will be done to provide further evidence for the importance of IL-2 and/or TNF-alpha.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY009224-07
Application #
2888381
Study Section
Visual Sciences A Study Section (VISA)
Project Start
1993-05-01
Project End
2000-07-31
Budget Start
1999-05-01
Budget End
2000-07-31
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
075307785
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90048
Ghiasi, Homayon; Osorio, Yanira; Perng, Guey-Chuen et al. (2002) Overexpression of interleukin-2 by a recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 attenuates pathogenicity and enhances antiviral immunity. J Virol 76:9069-78
Ghiasi, Homayon; Osorio, Yanira; Hedvat, Yahya et al. (2002) Infection of BALB/c mice with a herpes simplex virus type 1 recombinant virus expressing IFN-gamma driven by the LAT promoter. Virology 302:144-54
Ghiasi, H; Cai, S; Perng, G C et al. (2000) The role of natural killer cells in protection of mice against death and corneal scarring following ocular HSV-1 infection. Antiviral Res 45:33-45
Ghiasi, H; Perng, G C; Nesburn, A B et al. (2000) Antibody-dependent enhancement of HSV-1 infection by anti-gK sera. Virus Res 68:137-44
Ghiasi, H; Hofman, F M; Wallner, K et al. (2000) Corneal macrophage infiltrates following ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 challenge vary in BALB/c mice vaccinated with different vaccines. Vaccine 19:1266-73
Ghiasi, H; Cai, S; Perng, G C et al. (2000) Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are involved in protection against HSV-1 induced corneal scarring. Br J Ophthalmol 84:408-12
Ghiasi, H; Perng, G C; Hofman, F M et al. (1999) Specific and nonspecific immune stimulation of MHC-II-deficient mice results in chronic HSV-1 infection of the trigeminal ganglia following ocular challenge. Virology 258:208-16
Ghiasi, H; Cai, S; Perng, G et al. (1999) Perforin pathway is essential for protection of mice against lethal ocular HSV-1 challenge but not corneal scarring. Virus Res 65:97-101
Ghiasi, H; Hofman, F M; Cai, S et al. (1999) Vaccination with different HSV-1 glycoproteins induces different patterns of ocular cytokine responses following HSV-1 challenge of vaccinated mice. Vaccine 17:2576-82
Ghiasi, H; Cai, S; Slanina, S M et al. (1999) The role of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 in herpes simplex virus type 1 ocular replication and eye disease. J Infect Dis 179:1086-93

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