title: Role of adherens junction proteins in differential herpes simplex virus type 2 infectivity in communication-competent and -deficient cell lines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gap junctional intercellular communication decreases with HSV-2 infection. To determine the importance of functional gap junctions for infectivity, we compared HSV-2 growth in communication-competent and -deficient cell lines.
  
  
  METHODS
  HSV-2 infectivity was tested in five cell lines: WB rat liver epithelial cells (communication-competent), WB-aB1 (communication-deficient), WB-a/32-10 (communication-rescued), HeLa (communication-deficient), and Cx43-transfected HeLa (communication-rescued) cells. HSV-2 growth curves and indirect immunofluorescence labeling of viral and cell proteins were performed in wild-type and mutant WB cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although wild-type WB cells were highly permissive for HSV-2 infection, virus production was significantly attenuated in communication-deficient and -rescued mutant WB cells. HeLa exhibited no difference in infectivity between communication-competent and -deficient cell lines. Tight and adherens junction proteins, including zonula occludens-1 and nectin-1, were not different in the WB cell lines. However, E-cadherin levels were elevated and β-catenin was found to co-localize with glycoprotein E, a viral glycoprotein associated with cell-to-cell spread, in the mutant WB cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that attenuated viral production in mutant WB cells is due to viral protein co-localization with adherens junction proteins rather than the loss or restoration of functional gap junctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA.
authors.forename: Blair
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miezeiewski
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McShane-Kay
authors.forename: Richard I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.forename: Gustave K N
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Mbuy
authors.forename: Maureen T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Knabb
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication; D002460:Cell Line; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006561:Herpes Simplex; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D000075983:Nectins; D051381:Rats; D057074:Virus Release; D014779:Virus Replication; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018031:Connexin 43; C000619010:NECTIN1 protein, human; D000075983:Nectins; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin