A herpes simplex virus 1 recombinant lacking the glycoprotein G coding sequences is defective in entry through apical surfaces of polarized epithelial cells in culture and in vivo.

During infection of a new host, the first surfaces encountered by herpes simplex viruses are the apical membranes of epithelial cells of mucosal surfaces. These cells are highly polarized, and the protein composition of their apical and basolateral membranes are very different, so that different viral entry pathways have evolved for each surface. To determine whether the viral glycoprotein G (gG) is specifically required for efficient infection of a particular surface of polarized cells, apical and basal surfaces were infected with wild-type virus or a gG deletion mutant. After infection of polarized cells in culture, the gG(-) virus was deficient in infection of apical surfaces but was able to infect cells through basal membranes, replicate, and spread into surrounding cells. The gG-dependent step in apical infection was a stage beyond attachment. After in vivo infection of apical surfaces of epithelial cells of nonscarified mouse corneas, infection by glycoprotein C(-) or gG(-) virus was considerably reduced as compared with that observed after infection with wild-type virus. In contrast, when corneas were scarified, allowing virus access to other cell surfaces, the gG and glycoprotein C deletion mutants infected eyes as efficiently as wild-type viruses. A secondary mutation allowing infection of apical surfaces by gG(-) virus arose readily during passage of the virus in nonpolarized cells, indicating that either the gG-dependent step of apical infection can be bypassed or that another viral protein can acquire the same function.

Herpes simplex virus inhibits apoptosis through the action of two genes, Us5 and Us3.

Apoptosis of virus-infected cells occurs either as a direct response to viral infection or upon recognition of infection by the host immune response. Apoptosis reduces production of new virus from these cells, and therefore viruses have evolved inhibitory mechanisms. We previously showed that laboratory strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) protect infected cells from apoptosis induced by cytotoxic T lymphocytes or ethanol. We have now evaluated the ability of HSV-1 and HSV-2 laboratory and clinical isolates to inhibit apoptosis induced by anti-Fas antibody or UV irradiation and explored the genetic basis for this inhibition. HSV-1 isolates inhibited apoptosis induced by UV or anti-Fas antibody. In contrast, HSV-2 clinical isolates failed to inhibit apoptosis induced by either stimulus, although the HSV-2 laboratory strain 333 had a partial inhibitory effect on UV-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptosis by HSV was accompanied by marked reduction of caspase-3 and caspase-8 activity. Deletion of the HSV-1 Us3 gene markedly reduced inhibition of UV-induced apoptosis and partially abrogated inhibition of Fas-mediated apoptosis. Conversely, deletion of the HSV-1 Us5 gene markedly reduced protection from Fas-mediated apoptosis and partially abrogated protection from UV. The Us11 and Us12 genes were not necessary for protection from apoptosis induced by either stimulus. The differences between HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the ability to inhibit apoptosis may be factors in the immunobiology of HSV infections.

Nuclear localization of the C1 factor (host cell factor) in sensory neurons correlates with reactivation of herpes simplex virus from latency.

After a primary infection, herpes simplex virus is maintained in a latent state in neurons of sensory ganglia until complex stimuli reactivate viral lytic replication. Although the mechanisms governing reactivation from the latent state remain unknown, the regulated expression of the viral immediate early genes represents a critical point in this process. These genes are controlled by transcription enhancer complexes whose assembly requires and is coordinated by the cellular C1 factor (host cell factor). In contrast to other tissues, the C1 factor is not detected in the nuclei of sensory neurons. Experimental conditions that induce the reactivation of herpes simplex virus in mouse model systems result in rapid nuclear localization of the protein, indicating that the C1 factor is sequestered in these cells until reactivation signals induce a redistribution of the protein. The regulated localization suggests that C1 is a critical switch determinant of the viral lytic-latent cycle.

The null mutant of the U(L)31 gene of herpes simplex virus 1: construction and phenotype in infected cells.

Earlier studies have shown that the U(L)31 protein is homogeneously distributed throughout the nucleus and cofractionates with nuclear matrix. We report the construction from an appropriate cosmid library a deletion mutant which replicates in rabbit skin cells carrying the U(L)31 gene under a late (gamma1) viral promoter. The mutant virus exhibits cytopathic effects and yields 0.01 to 0.1% of the yield of wild-type parent virus in noncomplementing cells but amounts of virus 10- to 1,000-fold higher than those recovered from the same cells 3 h after infection. Electron microscopic studies indicate the presence of small numbers of full capsids but a lack of enveloped virions. Viral DNA extracted from the cytoplasm of infected cells exhibits free termini indicating cleavage/packaging of viral DNA from concatemers for packaging into virions, but analyses of viral DNAs by pulsed-field electrophoresis indicate that at 16 h after infection, both the yields of viral DNA and cleavage of viral DNA for packaging are decreased. The repaired virus cannot be differentiated from the wild-type parent. These results suggest the possibility that U(L)31 protein forms a network to enable the anchorage of viral products for the synthesis and/or packaging of viral DNA into virions.

Infection of polarized MDCK cells with herpes simplex virus 1: two asymmetrically distributed cell receptors interact with different viral proteins.

Herpes simplex virus 1 attaches to at least two cell surface receptors. In polarized epithelial (Madin-Darby canine kidney; MDCK) cells one receptor is located in the apical surface and attachment to the cells requires the presence of glycoprotein C in the virus. The second receptor is located in the basal surface and does not require the presence of glycoprotein C. Exposure of MDCK cells at either the apical or basal surface to wild-type virus yields plaques and viral products whereas infection by a glycoprotein C-negative mutant yields identical results only after exposure of MDCK cells to virus at the basal surface. Multiple receptors for viral entry into cells expand the host range of the virus. The observation that glycoprotein C-negative mutants are infectious in many nonpolarized cell lines suggests that cells in culture may express more than one receptor and explains why genes that specify the viral proteins that recognize redundant receptors, like glycoprotein C, are expendable.

Expression of the herpes simplex virus 1 alpha transinducing factor (VP16) does not induce reactivation of latent virus or prevent the establishment of latency in mice.

A feature of the cascade regulation of herpes simplex virus 1 gene expression in productive infection is that the first genes to be expressed, the alpha genes, are transactivated by a structural component of the virion designated as the alpha transinducing factor (alpha TIF). In this study, we have tested the hypothesis that latent infection of sensory neurons results from the failure of alpha TIF, a tegument protein, to be transported from the nerve endings to the nucleus of the sensory neuron. Two viruses were constructed. The first recombinant virus (R6003) contained a second copy of the alpha TIF gene placed under the control of a metallothionein promoter. The second recombinant virus (R6004) is identical to R6003 except for the presence of a stop codon inserted at amino acid 70 of the second alpha TIF gene. The metallothionein promoter inserted into the viral genome was shown to be expressed, and alpha TIF mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization of sections of trigeminal ganglia of mice infected with R6003, both untreated and those given cadmium injections. In all experiments, there were no significant differences in the recovery of latent virus from mice infected with R6003 or R6004, whether injected with cadmium or not. Cadmium administration at the time of infection and at intervals thereafter did not preclude establishment of latency. In another series of experiments, transgenic mice expressing the metallothionein-driven alpha TIF did not differ from nontransgenic siblings with respect to the incidence of latent virus in trigeminal ganglia. We conclude that the absence of alpha TIF cannot alone account for the establishment of latency.

Amplification by host cell factors of a sequence contained within the herpes simplex virus 1 genome.

We report that a cloned 1620-base-pair (bp) DNA fragment mapping in the BamHI O fragment of herpes simplex virus 1 DNA is amplified after transfection into uninfected cells. The DNA fragment maps entirely within a portion of the open reading frame encoding the large subunit of the viral ribonucleotide reductase and does not contain any of the known lytic origins of viral DNA synthesis. Amplification of this sequence in transfected cells results in accumulation of full-sized Dpn I-resistant plasmids containing the sequence in Hirt extracts of low molecular weight DNA. Subfragments of the 1620-bp fragment were not amplified, whereas larger fragments containing the intact 1620-bp fragment were amplified. The amplification of the fragment in MCF7 cells, which express steroid receptors, was stimulated by the addition of estrogen to the medium. Addition of progesterone, dexamethasone, or testosterone was ineffective. The viral genome therefore contains at least one origin of DNA synthesis capable of supporting replication of viral DNA by cellular factors. The existence of such a host origin of DNA replication in the viral genome was predicted by the hypothesis that viral DNA is amplified by cellular enzymes in sensory neurons harboring latent virus; the link between these sequences and amplification of viral DNA during latency remains to be proven.

Virulence of and establishment of latency by genetically engineered deletion mutants of herpes simplex virus 1.

We report the results of studies on the biologic properties of seven deletion mutants of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). The genes deleted from six of these mutants map in the S component of HSV-1 DNA and include those specifying the alpha protein 47, the glycoproteins G and E, the viral protein kinase, and two proteins whose functions are not yet known (open reading frames US2 and US11). The seventh virus [HSV-1(F) delta 305] contained a 700-bp deletion in the thymidine kinase gene. The results of intracerebral inoculation of Balb/c mice indicated that all but one of the deletion mutants in the S component were significantly attenuated. The PFU/LD50 ratios for these mutants ranged from 10(4)- to 10(5)-fold higher than that of the wild-type, HSV-1(F). The PFU/LD50 for mutant R7032, from which the glycoprotein E gene had been deleted, was less than 100-fold higher than that of the parent virus. All of the mutants, with one exception, were able to establish latency in mice; the exception, HSV-1(F) delta 305, was able to establish latency in rabbits.

Cell-specific selection of mutants of a herpes simplex virus recombinant carrying deletions.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) recombinant R316 was constructed so as to convert the thymidine kinase (TK), a beta gene, into an alpha-regulated gene by insertion of the BamHI N fragment in the proper transcriptional orientation into the BglII cleavage site of the TK gene (L. E. Post, S. Mackem, and B. Roizman, Cell 24, 555-565 (1981).) The BamHI N fragment contains the promoter and regulatory domains of the alpha 4 gene in addition to an origin of viral DNA synthesis and the complete domain of the alpha 22 gene. Passage of the R316 virus in HEp-2 or in human embryonic lung (HEL) cells resulted in rapid accumulation of mutants carrying approximately 4.4-kbp deletions in the insert. No appreciable accumulation of the deletions was observed upon passage of R316 virus in Vero cells. The accumulation of deletions in HEp-2 and HEL cells could not be attributed to the fusion of the TK gene with the alpha 4 gene promoter, to the presence of an origin of DNA replication, or to overexpression of any of the genes whose domain is contained entirely in the HSV-1 Bam HI N fragment; these conclusions are based on the observations that deletions did not accumulate in HEL or HEp-2 cells infected with recombinant R315, containing BamHI N inserted in an inverted orientation, or with recombinant R314, carrying an alpha 4-TK chimera constructed by insertion of the HSV-1 BamHI Z fragment into the BglII cleavage site in the TK gene. The BamHI Z fragment also contains a functional origin of DNA synthesis. The hypothetical models which could explain the host range-specific accumulation of deletions are discussed.

Herpes simplex virus 1 mutant deleted in the alpha 22 gene: growth and gene expression in permissive and restrictive cells and establishment of latency in mice.

R325-beta TK+, a herpes simplex virus 1 mutant carrying a 500-base-pair deletion in the alpha 22 gene and the wild-type (beta) thymidine kinase (TK) gene, was previously shown to grow efficiently in HEp-2 and Vero cell lines. We report that in rodent cell lines exemplified by the Rat-1 line, plating efficiency was reduced and growth was multiplicity dependent. A similar multiplicity dependence for growth and lack of virus spread at low multiplicity was seen in resting, confluent human embryonic lung (HEL) cells. The shutoff of synthesis of beta proteins was delayed and the duration of synthesis of gamma proteins was extended in R325-beta TK+-infected HEL cells relative to cells infected with the wild-type parent, but no significant differences were seen in the total accumulation of viral DNA. To quantify the effect on late (gamma 2) gene expression, a recombinant carrying the deletion in the alpha 22 gene and a gamma 2-TK gene (R325-gamma 2 TK) was constructed and compared with a wild-type virus (R3112) carrying a chimeric gamma 2-TK gene. In Vero cells, the gamma 2-TK gene of R325-gamma 2TK was expressed earlier than and at the same level as the gamma 2-TK gene of R3112. In the confluent resting HEL cells, the expression of the gamma 2-TK gene of the alpha 22- virus was grossly reduced relative to that of the alpha 22+ virus. Electron microscopic studies indicated that the number of intranuclear capsids of R325-beta TK+ virus was reduced relative to that of the parent virus in resting confluent HEL cells, but the number of DNA-containing capsids was higher. Notwithstanding the grossly reduced neurovirulence on intracerebral inoculation in mice, R325-beta TK+ virus was able to establish latency in mice. We conclude that (i) the alpha 22 gene affects late (gamma 2) gene expression, and (ii) a host cell factor complements that function of the alpha 22 gene to a greater extent in HEp-2 and Vero cells than in confluent, resting HEL cells.

Establishment of latency in mice by herpes simplex virus 1 recombinants that carry insertions affecting regulation of the thymidine kinase gene.

Herpes simplex virus 1 recombinants carrying alpha-, beta-, and late gamma (gamma 2)-regulated thymidine kinase (TK) genes were tested for the ability to establish latency in BALB/c mice inoculated by the eye route. The significant findings were as follows. Representatives of alpha- and gamma 2-regulated TK recombinants all established and maintained latent infections, but the efficiency was somewhat lower than that of wild-type virus. Of the three alpha TK recombinants tested, one (R316) spontaneously deleted portions of the inserted sequences which conferred alpha regulation to the TK gene. The viruses carrying these deletions expressed considerably lower TK activity than did wild-type virus, i.e., 2 to 40% of the levels expressed by the wild-type virus carrying the beta TK gene. However, the ability of these viruses to establish latency was not related to the efficiency of expression of the TK gene. These results indicate the following: (i) conversion of the TK gene into an alpha or gamma 2 gene did not preclude the establishment of latent infections; (ii) there was no correlation between the levels of TK activity expressed in cell culture and the ability to establish latency; and (iii) rearrangement of the genome by insertions or deletions which interrupt gene domains did not automatically result in an inability to establish latent infections.