Entry of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) into the Distal Axons of Trigeminal Neurons Favors the Onset of Nonproductive, Silent Infection

Following productive, lytic infection in epithelia, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) establishes a lifelong latent infection in sensory neurons that is interrupted by episodes of reactivation. In order to better understand what triggers this lytic/latent decision in neurons, we set up an organotypic model based on chicken embryonic trigeminal ganglia explants (TGEs) in a double chamber system. Adding HSV-1 to the ganglion compartment (GC) resulted in a productive infection in the explants. By contrast, selective application of the virus to distal axons led to a largely nonproductive infection that was characterized by the poor expression of lytic genes and the presence of high levels of the 2.0-kb major latency-associated transcript (LAT) RNA. Treatment of the explants with the immediate-early (IE) gene transcriptional inducer hexamethylene bisacetamide, and simultaneous co-infection of the GC with HSV-1, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) or pseudorabies virus (PrV) helper virus significantly enhanced the ability of HSV-1 to productively infect sensory neurons upon axonal entry. Helper-virus-induced transactivation of HSV-1 IE gene expression in axonally-infected TGEs in the absence of de novo protein synthesis was dependent on the presence of functional tegument protein VP16 in HSV-1 helper virus particles. After the establishment of a LAT-positive silent infection in TGEs, HSV-1 was refractory to transactivation by superinfection of the GC with HSV-1 but not with HSV-2 and PrV helper virus. In conclusion, the site of entry appears to be a critical determinant in the lytic/latent decision in sensory neurons. HSV-1 entry into distal axons results in an insufficient transactivation of IE gene expression and favors the establishment of a nonproductive, silent infection in trigeminal neurons

Transplantation of islets of Langerhans into the anterior chamber of the eye for longitudinal in vivo imaging.

Noninvasive in vivo imaging techniques are attractive tools to longitudinally study various aspects of islet of Langerhans physiology and pathophysiology. Unfortunately, most imaging modalities currently applicable for clinical use do not allow the comprehensive investigation of islet cell biology due to limitations in resolution and/or sensitivity, while high-resolution imaging technologies like laser scanning microscopy (LSM) lack the penetration depth to assess islets of Langerhans within the pancreas. Significant progress in this area was made by the combination of LSM with the anterior chamber of the mouse eye platform, utilizing the cornea as a natural body window to study cell physiology of transplanted islets of Langerhans. We here describe the transplantation and longitudinal in vivo imaging of islets of Langerhans in the anterior chamber of the mouse eye as a versatile tool to study different features of islet physiology in health and disease

Human Rights Attitude and Civic Engagement Behavior Among University Students

Although civic engagement and human rights are critical values in social work education, few empirical studies have explored the association between civic engagement and human rights exposure and attitudes. This study aims to examine the relationship between the exposure to human rights information, human rights attitudes, normative beliefs, and civic engagement behaviors among university students. A total of 214 students at a public university in the Midwest of the United States responded to the study survey. Findings indicate that students with more exposure to human rights issues showed more civic engagement. This relationship between human rights exposure and civic engagement was mediated by students’ attitudes toward human rights, but not moderated by normative beliefs. In addition, students majoring in social work revealed higher civic engagement and more positive attitudes toward human rights issues than those in other disciplines