Expression of the herpes simplex virus type 2 latency-associated transcript enhances spontaneous reactivation of genital herpes in latently infected guinea pigs.
The latency-associated transcript (LAT) is the only herpes simplex virus (HSV) gene product detectable in latently infected humans and animals. In this report, we show that a 624-bp deletion in the promoter of the HSV-2 LAT had no discernable effect on viral growth in tissue culture or in acute genital infection of guinea pigs, but impaired LAT accumulation and led to a marked decrease in spontaneous genital recurrences when compared with the behavior of wild-type and rescuant strains. Differences in the ability of the mutant to replicate, or in how readily it established or maintained latency did not account for this finding. Thus, HSV LAT expression facilitates the spontaneous reactivation of latent virus.
Krause
P R
PR
Division of Viral Products, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Stanberry
L R
LR
Bourne
N
N
Connelly
B
B
Kurawadwala
J F
JF
Patel
A
A
Straus
S E
SE
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000382:microbiology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012008:Recurrence; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017735:Virus Latency; D014779:Virus Replication
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins