title: Varicella-zoster virus infection of human neural cells in vivo.
abstract: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) establishes latency in sensory ganglia and causes herpes zoster upon reactivation. These investigations in a nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient mouse-human neural cell model showed that VZV infected both neurons and glial cells and spread efficiently from cell to cell in vivo. Neural cell morphology and protein synthesis were preserved, in contrast to destruction of epithelial cells by VZV. Expression of VZV genes in neural cells was characterized by nuclear retention of the major viral transactivating protein and a block in synthesis of the predominant envelope glycoprotein. The attenuated VZV vaccine strain retained infectivity for neurons and glial cells in vivo. VZV gene expression in differentiated human neural cells in vivo differs from neural infection by herpes simplex virus, which is characterized by latency-associated transcripts, and from lytic VZV replication in skin. The chimeric nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient mouse model may be useful for investigating other neurotropic human viruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baiker
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fabel
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cozzio
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zerboni
authors.forename: Konstanze
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fabel
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Dongping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Irving
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arvin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000378:metabolism*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014764:Viral Proteins