title: The Telomerase Inhibitor MST-312 Interferes with Multiple Steps in the Herpes Simplex Virus Life Cycle.
abstract: The life cycle of herpes simplex virus (HSV) has the potential to be further manipulated to yield novel, more effective therapeutic treatments. Recent research has demonstrated that HSV-1 can increase telomerase activity and that expression of the catalytic component of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), alters sensitivity to HSV-dependent apoptosis. Telomerase is a cellular enzyme that synthesizes nucleotide repeats at the ends of chromosomes (telomeres), which prevents shortening of the 3' ends of DNA with each cell division. Once telomeres reach a critical length, cells undergo senescence and apoptosis. Here, we used a cell-permeable, reversible inhibitor of the telomerase enzyme, MST-312, to investigate telomerase activity during HSV infection. Human mammary epithelial cells immortalized through TERT expression and human carcinoma HEp-2 cells were infected with the KOS1.1 strain of HSV-1 in the presence of MST-312. MST-312 treatment reduced the number of cells displaying a cytopathic effect and the accumulation of immediate early and late viral proteins. Moreover, the presence of 20 μM to 100 μM MST-312 during infection led to a 2.5- to 5.5-log10 decrease in viral titers. MST-312 also inhibited the replication of HSV-2 and a recent clinical isolate of HSV-1. Additionally, we determined that MST-312 has the largest impact on viral events that take place prior to 5 h postinfection (hpi). Furthermore, MST-312 treatment inhibited virus replication, as measured by adsorption assays and quantification of genome replication. Together, these findings demonstrate that MST-312 interferes with the HSV life cycle. Further investigation into the mechanism for MST-312 is warranted and may provide novel targets for HSV therapies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections can lead to cold sores, blindness, and brain damage. Identification of host factors that are important for the virus life cycle may provide novel targets for HSV antivirals. One such factor, telomerase, is the cellular enzyme that synthesizes DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes during replication to prevent DNA shortening. In this study, we investigate role of telomerase in HSV infection. The data demonstrate that the telomerase inhibitor MST-312 suppressed HSV replication at multiple steps of viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Jarod
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haberichter
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Phonphanh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dedthanou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Prajakta
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA marie.nguyen@dmu.edu.
authors.forename: Marie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001549:Benzamides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000187:drug effects*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D019098:Telomerase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; C470197:MST 312; D019098:Telomerase