Herpesviruses use bidirectional fast-axonal transport to spread in sensory neurons.
Alpha herpesviruses infect the vertebrate nervous system resulting in either mild recurrent lesions in mucosal epithelia or fatal encephalitis. Movement of virions within the nervous system is a critical factor in the outcome of infection; however, the dynamics of individual virion transport have never been assessed. Here we visualized and tracked individual viral capsids as they moved in axons away from infected neuronal cell bodies in culture. The observed movement was compatible with fast axonal flow mediated by multiple microtubule motors. Capsids accumulated at axon terminals, suggesting that spread from infected neurons required cell contact.
Department of Molecular Biology, Schultz Building, Room 301, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1014, USA.
G A
GA
Smith
S P
SP
Gross
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LW
Enquist
D000818:Animals; D001370:Axonal Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism*; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C077409:capsid protein VP26, herpes simplex virus type 1; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins