The effects of aminoguanidine on primary and recurrent ocular herpes simplex virus infection

In primary ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, nitric oxide may function to control viral replication and herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) lesions. Recurrent HSK, manifested as corneal opacity and neovascularization, is the potentially blinding sequel to primary infection. Here, we assess the effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on a mouse model of recurrent HSK. In preliminary primary infection experiments, NIH inbred mice treated with aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), experienced no changes in post-infection tear, brain, or ganglia virus titers, but encephalitis-related mortality was elevated. After UV-B stimulated viral reactivation, iNOS inhibition did not affect virus shedding or clinical disease. In contrast to primary HSK, there was no exacerbation of mortality in recurrent disease. Our findings indicate that nitric oxide can be neuroprotective without antiviral effects in primary HSK, and does not play a significant role in the pathogenesis of recurrent HSK. Compared with data from other mouse strains, this work suggests that there may be a genetic component to the importance of NO in controlling ocular HSV infection.     

Role of T-lymphocyte subsets in recovery from herpes simplex virus infection.

Our investigations probed the nature of different T-lymphocyte subsets effecting clearance of herpes simplex virus after infection of the pinna. Cell populations from animals recently infected subcutaneously or intraperitoneally (acute population) or from animals infected 6 weeks previously (primed population) or the latter cells reimmunized in vitro with virus (memory population) were studied. Viral clearance was a function of the Lyt 1+2- subset in the acute population, but with the memory population both Lyt 1+ and Lyt 2+ cells affected clearance. In primed populations, viral clearance was effected only by the Lyt 2+ subset. The ability of the various cell populations to adoptively transfer delayed-type hypersensitivity was also studied. Only acute population cells from animals infected subcutaneously and memory population cells transferred delayed-type hypersensitivity. In both cases, the cell subtype was Lyt 1+2-. Our results demonstrated that the delayed-type hypersensitivity response does not always correlate with immunity to herpes simplex virus. Multiple subsets of T cells participate in viral clearance, and their respective importances vary according to the stage of the virus-host interaction.     

Intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection

Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection usually is the consequence of intrapartum infection, with disease onset between 5 and 15 days of life. More recently, intrauterine HSV infection has been identified. Intrauterine infection is apparent within the first 24-48 hr of life and is associated with skin vesicles/scarring, chorioretinitis, and/or hydraencephaly. The recognition that babies with these findings can have disease caused by HSV should prompt enhanced physician awareness in the evaluation of newborns with suspected intrauterine infection. The frequency of intrauterine infection appears to be about 5% of all babies with neonatal HSV infection.     

The cellular changes in primary and recurrent infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 in an in vitro model

The cellular changes of primary and recurrent herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection were investigated in in vitro models. In the primary infection model, nuclear changes were characterized by clumping and margination of the nuclear chromatin, a homogeneous ground-glass nuclear appearance, multinucleation and the appearance of two different types of intranuclear inclusions. One of the two types of inclusions appeared as early as six hours postinfection, reached a maximum at nine hours postinfection and gradually decreased thereafter. This early inclusion, relatively small in size as compared to the other type of inclusion, gave a basophilic staining when the Papanicolaou staining method was used. The other type of inclusion was the typical Cowdry type A inclusion, which appeared as early as 12 hours postinfection. Both types of inclusions contained clear perinuclear halo. In the recurrent infection model, the appearance of all the nuclear changes was delayed, the appearance of early inclusions was infrequent, and the Cowdry type A inclusions were observed more frequently than in the primary infection model. These results may indicate that the early inclusion is a sign of rapid virus replication while the Cowdry type A inclusion is one form of the remains of an HSV infection.     

Cellular proteins expressed in herpes simplex virus transformed cells also accumulate on herpes simplex virus infection.

The cell proteins expressed in rat embryo cells transformed by herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been analysed by immunoprecipitation assays to determine those polypeptides which can be identified by immunoprecipitation with the sera of tumour-bearing animals and also with antisera to herpes simplex infected cells. Cell polypeptides commonly recognised by both these sera have been further characterised using a monoclonal antibody directed against a cellular polypeptide which accumulates on HSV-2 lytic infection. This monoclonal antibody recognises in HSV-transformed cells polypeptides of mol. wts. 90 000, 40 000 and 32 000. Further studies show that the accumulation of these polypeptides in HSV-transformed cells is not HSV specific but is a common feature of transformation or of cells which have been immortalised. We suggest that cellular polypeptides accumulating as a result of HSV infection may be of importance in the initiation of transformation by HSV, i.e., at the level of immortalisation of cells.     

Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D mediates interference with herpes simplex virus infection.

We showed that the expression of a single protein, glycoprotein D (gD-1), specified by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) renders cells resistant to infection by HSV but not to infection by other viruses. Mouse (LMtk-) and human (HEp-2) cell lines containing the gene for gD-1 under control of the human metallothionein promoter II expressed various levels of gD-1 constitutively and could be induced to express higher levels with heavy metal ions. Radiolabeled viruses bound equally well to gD-1-expressing and control cell lines. Adsorbed viruses were unable to penetrate cells expressing sufficient levels of gD-1, based on lack of any cytopathic effects of the challenge virus and on failure to detect either the induction of viral protein synthesis or the shutoff of host protein synthesis normally mediated by a virion-associated factor. The resistance to HSV infection conferred by gD-1 expression was not absolute and depended on several variables, including the amount of gD-1 expressed, the dosage of the challenge virus, the serotype of the challenge virus, and the properties of the cells themselves. The interference activity of gD-1 is discussed in relation to the role of gD-1 in virion infectivity and its possible role in permitting escape of progeny HSV from infected cells.     

The Toll of herpes simplex virus infection

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections provoke an inflammatory cytokine response, but the innate pathogen-sensing mechanisms that transduce the signal for this response are poorly understood. Recent findings have revealed that Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 initiates the inflammatory process, and surprisingly that the response the TLR triggers might be overzealous in its attempt to counter the attack by the virus. Other recent findings suggest complexity in the array of TLRs that are triggered by HSV and the cell types they activate. Here we discuss the new revelations about these guardians against HSV infection and the consequences of the alarms raised in the host that they are assigned to protect.