The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in HSV Infection

描述(由申请人提供)：长期目标是比较HSV1和HSV2建立潜伏感染和重新激活导致复发疾病的不同机制，特别是自主神经系统(ANS)通路在这些过程中的参与。HSV1和HSV2具有不同的潜伏感染模式和不同的复发模式。虽然多年来自主神经被认为是HSV感染的场所，但它们在反复发作的病毒疾病中的作用尚未得到密切研究，自主神经感染的差异可能有助于区分HSV1和HSV2的临床和分子模式。中心假设是HSV1和HSV2能够不同地在特定类型的自主神经细胞中建立潜伏期，并从特定类型的自主神经细胞重新激活，从而导致部分复发的HSV疾病，部分受潜伏期相关转录本(LAT)的调节。这项建议的目的是：1)比较HSV1和HSV2到达中枢神经系统的优先途径(感觉或自主神经通路)，使用体外生物相关的原代神经元培养Campenot小室感染系统和体内的豚鼠感染模型；2)通过体外Campenot小室感染和复活模型，通过重新激活潜伏感染小鼠的自主神经元，以及通过体内化学交感神经切除模型来确定通路消融是否改变感染和复活模式，以检测HSV1和HSV2从自主神经元复活的能力；3)通过使用在体外和体内感染模型中HSV1和HSV2之间的LAT区域已经交换的嵌合病毒来确定切换LAT区域是否也切换感染和重新激活的模式，以及使用蛋白质-DNA结合分析来确定宿主或病毒蛋白与HSV1和HSV2的LAT区域的差异相互作用，以证明HSV基因组的潜伏期相关转录本(LAT)区域调节HSV1和HSV2产生感染的自主神经特异性。这些研究的结果将有助于全面了解HSV的发病机制，并建议辅助治疗以防止特别是自主神经元的再激活，以改善HSV相关复发疾病的临床结果。这些研究的完成还将为未来的R01资金提供基本基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal is to compare the different mechanisms by which HSV1 and HSV2 establish latent infection and reactivate to cause recurrent disease, particularly the involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) pathways in these processes. HSV1 and HSV2 have different patterns of latent infection and different patterns of recurrent disease. While autonomic neurons have been recognized as a site for HSV infection for many years, their contribution to recurrent viral disease has not been closely examined, and differences in autonomic infection may contribute to the clinical and molecular patterns that differentiate HSV1 and HSV2. The central hypothesis is that HSV1 and HSV2 are capable of differentially establishing latency in, and reactivating from, specific types of autonomic neurons to cause some portion of recurrent HSV disease, regulated in part by the latency-associated transcript (LAT). The objectives of this proposal are 1) to compare the preferential pathways by which HSV1 and HSV2 reach the central nervous system (sensory or autonomic pathways), by using biologically relevant primary neuronal culture Campenot chamber infection systems in vitro and a guinea pig infection model (both genital and ocular) in vivo; 2) to examine the capabilities of HSV1 and HSV2 to reactivate from autonomic neurons, using a Campenot chamber infection and reactivation model in vitro, by reactivating autonomic neurons from latently infected mice ex vivo, and by using a chemical sympathectomy model in vivo to determine if pathway ablation alters infection and reactivation patterns; and 3) to demonstrate that the latency-associated transcript (LAT) region of the HSV genome regulates autonomic neuron specificity for HSV1 and HSV2 productive infection, by using chimeric viruses in which the LAT region has been swapped between HSV1 and HSV2 in in vitro and in vivo infection models to determine if switching LAT regions also switches patterns of infection and reactivation, as well as using protein-DNA binding assays to determine the host or viral proteins that differentially interact with the LAT regions of HSV1 and HSV2. Results from these studies will contribute to the overall understanding of HSV pathogenesis and suggest auxiliary treatments to prevent reactivation specifically from autonomic neurons to improve clinical outcomes of HSV-related recurrent disease. Completion of these studies will also provide the basic foundation for future R01 funding.