Invading Intelligence: herpes simplex virus pathogenesis
Herpes simplex virus is a DNA virus currently parasitizing the peripheral and central nervous systems of more than three-quarters of the human population. The impact of this on human health is profound, HSV is a leading cause of blindness and sporadic fatal encephalitis. In the neonate, HSV infection is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Further, we are just beginning to realize the disease associated with the chronic inflammation associated with HSV infection in the nervous system.
The Sawtell lab investigates the virus /neuronal interactions that define the complexities of HSV pathogenesis. Studies focus on understanding how (i) contact with an external body surface results in the invasion a large number of neurons within the peripheral and central nervous systems (ref), (ii) host and viral mechanisms lead to transcriptional repression and long term maintenance of the viral genome in these neurons (ref), and (iii) host/viral interactions regulate viral reactivation, which is the exit from the latent state and entry into the lytic viral transcriptional program. This complex life cycle ensures that in the absence of any nonhuman reservoir, viral genetic information is maintained in humans and spread to new uninfected individuals. This has proven a successful strategy, evidenced in the current global HSV epidemic. The development of innovative strategies to detect and quantify virus/host cell interactions in vivo have driven our progress.
