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Entry Mechanisms of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 into Murine Epidermis: Involvement of Nectin-1 and Herpesvirus Entry Mediator as Cellular Receptors
Journal of Virology (2015)
  • Philipp Petermann
  • Katharina Thier
  • Elena Rahn
  • Frazer J. Rixon
  • Wilhelm Bloch
  • Semra Özcelik
  • Claude F. Krummenacher, Rowan University
  • Martin J. Barron
  • Michael J. Dixon
  • Stefanie Scheu
  • Klaus Pfeffer
  • Dagmar Knebel-Mörsdorf
Abstract
Skin keratinocytes represent a primary entry site for herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) in vivo. The cellular proteins nectin-1 and herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) act as efficient receptors for both serotypes of HSV and are sufficient for disease development mediated by HSV-2 in mice. How HSV-1 enters skin and whether both nectin-1 and HVEM are involved are not known. We addressed the impact of nectin-1 during entry of HSV-1 into murine epidermis and investigated the putative contribution of HVEM. Using ex vivo infection of murine epidermis, we showed that HSV-1 entered the basal keratinocytes of the epidermis very efficiently. In nectin-1-deficient epidermis, entry was strongly reduced. Almost no entry was observed, however, in nectin-1-deficient keratinocytes grown in culture. This observation correlated with the presence of HVEM on the keratinocyte surface in epidermis and with the lack of HVEM expression in nectin-1-deficient primary keratinocytes. Our results suggest that nectin-1 is the primary receptor in epidermis, while HVEM has a more limited role. For primary murine keratinocytes, on which nectin-1 acts as a single receptor, electron microscopy suggested that HSV-1 can enter both by direct fusion with the plasma membrane and via endocytic vesicles. Thus, we concluded that nectin-1 directs internalization into keratinocytes via alternative pathways. In summary, HSV-1 entry into epidermis was shown to strongly depend on the presence of nectin-1, but the restricted presence of HVEM can potentially replace nectin-1 as a receptor, illustrating the flexibility employed by HSV-1 to efficiently invade tissue in vivo.
Keywords
  • Virus-Cell Interactions
Disciplines
Publication Date
January, 2015
DOI
10.1128/JVI.02917-14
Citation Information
Philipp Petermann, Katharina Thier, Elena Rahn, Frazer J. Rixon, et al.. "Entry Mechanisms of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 into Murine Epidermis: Involvement of Nectin-1 and Herpesvirus Entry Mediator as Cellular Receptors" Journal of Virology Vol. 89 Iss. 1 (2015) p. 262 - 274 ISSN: 0022-538X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/claude-krummenacher/3/