Expression of nectin-1 in normal and herpes simplex virus type 1-infected murine brain.
Nectin-1 is an adherens junction protein that serves as an entry receptor for neurotropic herpes simplex virus (HSV). The expression of nectin-1 in the central nervous system (CNS) has not been well defined. Furthermore, it is not known whether HSV infection has an effect on nectin-1 expression in the brain. To better understand nectin-1 expression in normal and HSV-infected brain, the authors used immunohistochemistry to characterize the expression of nectin-1 in brain tissue of uninfected adult mice and mice infected with HSV-1. In the CNS of untreated and mock-infected mice, virtually all neurons, ependymal cells, choroid plexus epithelial cells, meningothelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells expressed nectin-1. Many oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and vascular smooth muscle cells also demonstrated nectin-1 expression, but a minority of these cells did not stain for nectin-1. Brain tissue derived from mice euthanized 5 to 8 days after intracerebral inoculation of HSV-1 showed inflammation and widespread expression of HSV-1 proteins in neurons. In HSV-1-infected brains, many inflammatory cells showed nectin-1 expression and neuronal nectin-1 staining showed a wider variation in signal strength than that detected in uninfected tissues. Many neurons showing nuclear fragmentation consistent with the morphologic appearance of apoptosis showed little or no evidence of nectin-1 expression, whereas occasional neurons stained more intensely positive for nectin-1 than those in uninfected brain tissue. These findings confirm and extend previous observations of nectin-1 expression in the nervous system and suggest that HSV-1 infection leads to changes in nectin-1 expression in the CNS, which may contribute to HSV-induced pathology and dissemination.
Shukla
Deepak
D
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Scanlan
Perry M
PM
Tiwari
Vaibhav
V
Sheth
Veeral
V
Clement
Christian
C
Guzman-Hartman
Grace
G
Dermody
Terence S
TS
Valyi-Nagy
Tibor
T
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D000075983:Nectins; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000378:metabolism*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C000619015:Nectin1 protein, mouse; D000075983:Nectins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C040495:glycoprotein B, Simplexvirus