Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo

Mechanisms responsible for neuroattenuation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been defined previously by studies of mutant viruses in cultured cells. The hypothesis that null mutations in host genes can override the attenuated phenotype of null mutations in certain viral genes was tested. Mutants s...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Leib, David A., Harrison, Travis E., Laslo, Kathleen M., Machalek, Michael A., Moorman, Nathaniel J., Virgin, Herbert W.
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The Rockefeller University Press 1999
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2192939/
id pubmed-2192939
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-21929392008-04-16 Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo Leib, David A. Harrison, Travis E. Laslo, Kathleen M. Machalek, Michael A. Moorman, Nathaniel J. Virgin, Herbert W. Articles Mechanisms responsible for neuroattenuation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been defined previously by studies of mutant viruses in cultured cells. The hypothesis that null mutations in host genes can override the attenuated phenotype of null mutations in certain viral genes was tested. Mutants such as those in infected cell protein (ICP) 0, thymidine kinase, ribonucleotide reductase, virion host shutoff, and ICP34.5 are reduced in their capacity to replicate in nondividing cells in culture and in vivo. The replication of these viruses was examined in eyes and trigeminal ganglia for 1–7 d after corneal inoculation in mice with null mutations (−/−) in interferon receptors (IFNR) for type I IFNs (IFN-α/βR), type II IFN (IFN-γR), and both type I and type II IFNs (IFN-α/β/γR). Viral titers in eyes and ganglia of IFN-γR−/− mice were not significantly different from congenic controls. However, in IFN-α/βR−/− or IFN-α/β/γR−/− mice, growth of all mutants, including those with significantly impaired growth in cell culture, was enhanced by up to 1,000-fold in eyes and trigeminal ganglia. Blepharitis and clinical signs of infection were evident in IFN-α/βR−/− and IFN-α/β/γR−/− but not control mice for all viruses. Also, IFNs were shown to significantly reduce productive infection of, and spread from intact, but not scarified, corneas. Particularly striking was restoration of near-normal trigeminal ganglion replication and neurovirulence of an ICP34.5 mutant in IFN-α/βR−/− mice. These data show that IFNs play a major role in limiting mutant and wild-type HSV replication in the cornea and in the nervous system. In addition, the in vivo target of ICP34.5 may be host IFN responses. These experiments demonstrate an unsuspected role for host factors in defining the phenotypes of some HSV mutants in vivo. The phenotypes of mutant viruses therefore cannot be interpreted based solely upon studies in cell culture but must be considered carefully in the context of host factors that may define the in vivo phenotype. The Rockefeller University Press 1999-02-15 /pmc/articles/PMC2192939/ /pubmed/9989981 Text en This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Leib, David A.
Harrison, Travis E.
Laslo, Kathleen M.
Machalek, Michael A.
Moorman, Nathaniel J.
Virgin, Herbert W.
spellingShingle Leib, David A.
Harrison, Travis E.
Laslo, Kathleen M.
Machalek, Michael A.
Moorman, Nathaniel J.
Virgin, Herbert W.
Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
author_facet Leib, David A.
Harrison, Travis E.
Laslo, Kathleen M.
Machalek, Michael A.
Moorman, Nathaniel J.
Virgin, Herbert W.
author_sort Leib, David A.
title Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
title_short Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
title_full Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
title_fullStr Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
title_full_unstemmed Interferons Regulate the Phenotype of  Wild-type and Mutant Herpes Simplex Viruses In Vivo
title_sort interferons regulate the phenotype of  wild-type and mutant herpes simplex viruses in vivo
description Mechanisms responsible for neuroattenuation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been defined previously by studies of mutant viruses in cultured cells. The hypothesis that null mutations in host genes can override the attenuated phenotype of null mutations in certain viral genes was tested. Mutants such as those in infected cell protein (ICP) 0, thymidine kinase, ribonucleotide reductase, virion host shutoff, and ICP34.5 are reduced in their capacity to replicate in nondividing cells in culture and in vivo. The replication of these viruses was examined in eyes and trigeminal ganglia for 1–7 d after corneal inoculation in mice with null mutations (−/−) in interferon receptors (IFNR) for type I IFNs (IFN-α/βR), type II IFN (IFN-γR), and both type I and type II IFNs (IFN-α/β/γR). Viral titers in eyes and ganglia of IFN-γR−/− mice were not significantly different from congenic controls. However, in IFN-α/βR−/− or IFN-α/β/γR−/− mice, growth of all mutants, including those with significantly impaired growth in cell culture, was enhanced by up to 1,000-fold in eyes and trigeminal ganglia. Blepharitis and clinical signs of infection were evident in IFN-α/βR−/− and IFN-α/β/γR−/− but not control mice for all viruses. Also, IFNs were shown to significantly reduce productive infection of, and spread from intact, but not scarified, corneas. Particularly striking was restoration of near-normal trigeminal ganglion replication and neurovirulence of an ICP34.5 mutant in IFN-α/βR−/− mice. These data show that IFNs play a major role in limiting mutant and wild-type HSV replication in the cornea and in the nervous system. In addition, the in vivo target of ICP34.5 may be host IFN responses. These experiments demonstrate an unsuspected role for host factors in defining the phenotypes of some HSV mutants in vivo. The phenotypes of mutant viruses therefore cannot be interpreted based solely upon studies in cell culture but must be considered carefully in the context of host factors that may define the in vivo phenotype.
publisher The Rockefeller University Press
publishDate 1999
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2192939/
_version_ 1611430792435597312