The US11 Gene of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Promotes Neuroinvasion and Periocular Replication following Corneal Infection

Abstract

Alphaherpesviruses are ubiquitous DNA viruses and include the human pathogens herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 and are significant causes of ulcerative mucosal sores, infectious blindness, encephalitis, and devastating neonatal disease. Successful primary infection and persistent coexistence with host immune defenses are dependent on the ability of these viruses to counter the antiviral response. HSV-1 and HSV-2 and other primate viruses within the Simplexvirus genus encode US11, an immune antagonist that promotes virus production by preventing shutdown of protein translation. Here we investigated the impact of US11 deletion on HSV-1 growth in vitro and pathogenesis in vivo . This work supports a role for US11 in pathogenesis and emergence from latency, elucidating immunomodulation by this medically important cohort of viruses.