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Reciprocal transmission of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) between corneal epithelium and trigeminal neurites in an embryonic chick organ culture
Author(s) -
Hafezi Wali,
Eing Bodo R.,
Lorentzen Eva U.,
Thanos Solon,
Kühn Joachim E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.01-0803fje
Subject(s) - trigeminal ganglion , neurite , biology , herpes simplex virus , organ culture , microbiology and biotechnology , epithelium , corneal epithelium , embryonic stem cell , sensory system , cornea , axoplasmic transport , nervous system , virology , immunology , virus , anatomy , neuroscience , biochemistry , genetics , gene , in vitro
Reciprocal transmission between epithelia and sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system is a crucial step in the life cycle of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) and related alphaherpesviruses. In searching for an easy‐to‐perform and generally applicable experimental approach that enables the direct analysis of virus transfer between primary epithelial cells and sensory neurites, we investigated the spread of HSV‐1 in a dual‐chamber organ model comprising chick embryonic corneal epithelia and trigeminal sensory neurons. Embryonic chick corneal and trigeminal tissues were found to be permissive for productive infection with HSV‐1. Our data show that HSV‐1 efficiently enters neurites re‐innervating the cornea and reaches the ganglion explant by retrograde axonal transport, with the first antigen‐positive cells being detectable ~12 h postinfection. After direct infection of trigeminal tissues, the virus is transported by anterograde axonal transport to the corneal epithelium, causing a visible cytopathic effect ~48 h postinfection. These results suggest that the organ model presented in this study holds particular promise for the direct observation and molecular analysis of herpes simplex virus spread between primary epithelia and sensory neurons and that it may be an attractive alternative to current experimental approaches based on laboratory animals or human fetal tissues.