Assembly and egress of herpes simplex virus

单纯疱疹病毒（HSV）在普通人群中的发生率非常高（高达60%）。在中非，HSV和HIV的合并感染可能会增加40%以上病例的HIV传播。HSV在进入神经细胞突起末端之前通过皮肤进入人体。它被运输沿着这些过程到神经细胞的身体。HSV潜伏在大多数人脊髓附近的神经细胞体内。病毒间歇性地重新激活，并沿着神经细胞的过程转移到皮肤上，在那里它会引起水泡-溃疡，或者在没有症状的情况下脱落。该项目的目的是确定HSV如何在分子水平上在细胞内组装。这将导致识别病毒组装所需的关键分子相互作用。关于病毒组装的这些信息将允许开发该过程的抑制剂，其可用作控制复发性单纯疱疹的抗病毒药物的候选物。这些抗病毒药物将能够靶向体内基本上所有类型细胞中的关键病毒分子相互作用，并通常对其他疱疹病毒起作用。

The occcurence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the general population is very high (up to 60%). In Central Africa, co-infection of HSV and HIV may increase HIV transmission in more than 40% of cases. HSV enters the human body via the skin before entering the termini of nerve cell processes. It is transported along these processes to the body of the nerve cell. HSV lies dormant within these nerve cell bodies near the spinal cord in most people. Intermittently the virus reactivates and is transported back down the nerve cell processes to the skin where it causes blisters-ulcers or is shed without causing symptoms. The aim of this project is to determine how HSV is assembled within cells at the molecular level. This will lead to identification of crucial molecular interactions required for viral assembly. Such information on viral assembly will allow development of inhibitors of this process which may be candidates for use as antivirals for control of recurrent herpes simplex. These antiviral agents will be able to target key viral molecular interactions in essentially all types of cells in the body and act against other herpesviruses in general.