The US3 protein kinase of herpes simplex virus attenuates the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase signal transduction pathway in infected piriform cortex neurons of C57BL/6 mice.
Stereotaxic microinjection of herpes simplex virus (HSV) into the mouse olfactory bulb resulted in infection of neurons of the piriform cortex. Neurons infected with the wildtype HSV showed no evident phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK)/c-Jun. In contrast, neurons infected with a US3 gene-disrupted mutant of the L1BR1 virus displayed phosphorylated JNK/c-Jun in a nuclear staining fashion. Induction of neuronal apoptosis by the wildtype HSV was partially suppressed when compared with that of the L1BR1 virus. A US3-rescued isolate of the L1B(-)11 virus behaved as did the wildtype virus. Collectively, the US3 protein kinase of HSV plays a role in attenuating the virus-induced activation of the JNK signal transduction pathway in the central nervous system and may contribute, at least in part, to controlling neuronal apoptosis.
Mori
Isamu
I
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Research Center for Infectious Disease, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, 21 Karimata, Nagakute-cho, Aichi 480-1195, Japan. isamor@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Goshima
Fumi
F
Koshizuka
Tetsuo
T
Koide
Naoki
N
Sugiyama
Tsuyoshi
T
Yoshida
Tomoaki
T
Yokochi
Takashi
T
Kimura
Yoshinobu
Y
Nishiyama
Yukihiro
Y
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000201:enzymology*; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000821:virology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins
D014764:Viral Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C095207:US3 protein, Human herpesvirus 1; C084395:US3 protein, Human herpesvirus 2; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases