Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and 2 are common ?-herpesviruses that establish lifelong latency. While most HSV infections of mucosal tissues are relatively benign, there are rare cases of encephalitis and HSV infections of the cornea can produce inflammatory pathology known as herpes stromal keratitis (HSK). HSK frequently involves recurring infections, often over years, produced by virus that reactivates in sensory ganglia that then travels to the cornea, producing scarring which can eventually lead to blindness. In the U.S. there are 60,000 cases of HSK/annually and HSV remains the leading infectious cause of blindness. Recurrent HSV infections in mucosa and the eye stem from reactivation of latent virus in neurons followed by anterograde transport in neuronal axons, a process by which virus particles hitchhike on kinesin motors that ferry virus from neuron cell bodies to axon tips. Our research will study two stages of anterograde transport. The first stage involves assembly of virus particles in the cytoplasm, followed by staging or sorting of these virus particles for transport into neuronal axons. The second stage involves transport of virus particles by kinesin motors along microtubules within axons. Our studies of first stage of this process will focus on two HSV membrane proteins gE/gI and US9 that cooperate to promote the assembly of virus particles and the polarized sorting of particles into axons. We recently demonstrated that HSV gE-/US9- double mutants were unable to assemble enveloped virus particles and, instead, viral capsids accumulated on cytoplasm membranes. There was also evidence that gE/gI and US9 participate in a subsequent process, involving sorting of enveloped virions into axons. These observations represent a novel example of neuron-specific defects in virus assembly and sorting in neurons and represent a new paradigm for how gE/gI and US9 function in neurons. The research in Aim 1 will test two hypotheses: i) gE/gI and US9 promote virus assembly by collecting other viral assembly proteins on cytoplasmic membranes that are sites of virus envelopment and ii) following envelopment, gE/gI and US9 trafficking sequences promote sorting of virus particles into axons. The molecular mechanisms involved in gE/gI- and US9-mediated assembly and sorting will be investigated using novel high resolution imaging techniques coupled with a panel of viral mutants and biochemical assays.
In Aim 2, we will study the second stage of anterograde transport addressing two fundamentally important questions: i) which of the many kinesin motors transport HSV particles in axons and ii) which viral proteins tether onto kinesins? To address these questions, we will take advantage of recent advances in our ability to transduce neurons using baculoviruses to deliver fluorescent cargo molecules and kinesins, ?split kinesins? and miRNAs to silence kinesins allowing us to determine which kinesins are functionally important for HSV anterograde transport. Based on our recent identification of certain kinesins that transport HSV, we now have the opportunity to identify HSV proteins that tether onto these kinesin motors.

Public Health Relevance

Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) cause cold sores, genital lesions, as well as herpes keratitis in the cornea, which can lead to blindness. HSV relies on transport in neuronal axons to spread from latently infected neurons to mucosal surfaces. Our studies will focus on the two steps in this transport: the assembly and loading of virus into axons and transport within axons.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01EY018755-20
Application #
9881575
Study Section
Virology - A Study Section (VIRA)
Program Officer
Mckie, George Ann
Project Start
1998-07-01
Project End
2024-01-31
Budget Start
2020-02-01
Budget End
2021-01-31
Support Year
20
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Oregon Health and Science University
Department
Other Basic Sciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
096997515
City
Portland
State
OR
Country
United States
Zip Code
97239
DuRaine, Grayson; Wisner, Todd W; Howard, Paul et al. (2018) Kinesin-1 Proteins KIF5A, -5B, and -5C Promote Anterograde Transport of Herpes Simplex Virus Enveloped Virions in Axons. J Virol 92:
DuRaine, Grayson; Wisner, Todd W; Howard, Paul et al. (2017) Herpes Simplex Virus gE/gI and US9 Promote both Envelopment and Sorting of Virus Particles in the Cytoplasm of Neurons, Two Processes That Precede Anterograde Transport in Axons. J Virol 91:
Howard, Paul W; Wright, Catherine C; Howard, Tiffani et al. (2014) Herpes simplex virus gE/gI extracellular domains promote axonal transport and spread from neurons to epithelial cells. J Virol 88:11178-86
Maric, Martina; Haugo, Alison C; Dauer, William et al. (2014) Nuclear envelope breakdown induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 involves the activity of viral fusion proteins. Virology 460-461:128-37
Howard, Paul W; Howard, Tiffani L; Johnson, David C (2013) Herpes simplex virus membrane proteins gE/gI and US9 act cooperatively to promote transport of capsids and glycoproteins from neuron cell bodies into initial axon segments. J Virol 87:403-14
Vanarsdall, Adam L; Wisner, Todd W; Lei, Hetian et al. (2012) PDGF receptor-ýý does not promote HCMV entry into epithelial and endothelial cells but increased quantities stimulate entry by an abnormal pathway. PLoS Pathog 8:e1002905
Johnson, David C; Wisner, Todd W; Wright, Catherine C (2011) Herpes simplex virus glycoproteins gB and gD function in a redundant fashion to promote secondary envelopment. J Virol 85:4910-26
Johnson, David C; Baines, Joel D (2011) Herpesviruses remodel host membranes for virus egress. Nat Rev Microbiol 9:382-94
Wisner, Todd W; Sugimoto, Ken; Howard, Paul W et al. (2011) Anterograde transport of herpes simplex virus capsids in neurons by both separate and married mechanisms. J Virol 85:5919-28
Wisner, Todd W; Wright, Catherine C; Kato, Akihisa et al. (2009) Herpesvirus gB-induced fusion between the virion envelope and outer nuclear membrane during virus egress is regulated by the viral US3 kinase. J Virol 83:3115-26

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