In vivo imaging of murid herpesvirus-4 infection

Luciferase-based imaging allows a global view of microbial pathogenesis. We applied this technique to gammaherpesvirus infection by inserting a luciferase expression cassette into the genome of murine herpesvirus-4 (MuHV-4). The recombinant virus strongly expressed luciferase in lytically infected cells without significant attenuation. We used it to compare different routes of virus inoculation. After intranasal infection of anaesthetized mice, luciferase was expressed in the nose and lungs for 7–10 days and in lymphoid tissue, most consistently the superficial cervical lymph nodes, for up to 30 days. Gastrointestinal infection was not observed. Intraperitoneal infection was very different to intranasal, with strong luciferase expression in the liver, kidneys, intestines, reproductive tract and spleen, but none in the nose or lungs. The nose has not previously been identified as a site of MuHV-4 infection. After intranasal infection of non-anaesthetized mice, it was the only site of non-lymphoid luciferase expression. Nevertheless, lymphoid colonization and persistence were still established, even at low inoculation doses. In contrast, virus delivered orally was very poorly infectious. Inoculation route therefore had a major impact on pathogenesis. Low dose intranasal infection without anaesthesia seems most likely to mimic natural transmission, and may therefore be particularly informative about normal viral gene functions

Glycosaminoglycan Interactions in Murine Gammaherpesvirus-68 Infection

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) commonly participate in herpesvirus entry. They are thought to provide a reversible attachment to cells that promotes subsequent receptor binding. Murine gamma-herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) infection of fibroblasts and epithelial cells is highly GAG-dependent. This is a function of the viral gp150, in that gp150-deficient mutants are much less GAG-dependent than wild-type. Here we show that the major MHV-68 GAG-binding protein is not gp150 but gp70, a product of ORF4. Surprisingly, ORF4-deficient MHV-68 showed normal cell binding and was more sensitive than wild-type to inhibition by soluble heparin rather than less. Thus, the most obvious viral GAG interaction made little direct contribution to infection. Indeed, a large fraction of the virion gp70 had its GAG-binding domain removed by post-translational cleavage. ORF4 may therefore act mainly to absorb soluble GAGs and prevent them from engaging gp150 prematurely. In contrast to gp70, gp150 bound poorly to GAGs, implying that it provides little in the way of adhesion. We hypothesize that it acts instead as a GAG-sensitive switch that selectively activates MHV-68 entry at cell surfaces

Analysis of a Novel Strain of Murine Gammaherpesvirus Reveals a Genomic Locus Important for Acute Pathogenesis

Infection of mice by murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is an excellent small-animal model of gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis in a natural host. We have carried out comparative studies of another herpesvirus, murine herpesvirus 76 (MHV-76), which was isolated at the same time as MHV-68 but from a different murid host, the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis). Molecular analyses revealed that the MHV-76 genome is essentially identical to that of MHV-68, except for deletion of 9,538 bp at the left end of the unique region. MHV-76 is therefore a deletion mutant that lacks four genes unique to MHV-68 (M1, M2, M3, and M4) as well as the eight viral tRNA-like genes. Replication of MHV-76 in cell culture was identical to that of MHV-68. However, following infection of mice, MHV-76 was cleared more rapidly from the lungs. In line with this, there was an increased inflammatory response in lungs with MHV-76. Splenomegaly was also significantly reduced following MHV-76 infection, and much less latent MHV-76 was detected in the spleen. Nevertheless, MHV-76 maintained long-term latency in the lungs and spleen. We utilized a cosmid containing the left end of the MHV-68 genome to reinsert the deleted sequence into MHV-76 by recombination in infected cells, and we isolated a rescuant virus designated MHV-76(cA8+)4 which was ostensibly genetically identical to MHV-68. The growth properties of the rescuant in infected mice were identical to those of MHV-68. These results demonstrate that genetic elements at the left end of the unique region of the MHV-68 genome play vital roles in host evasion and are critical to the development of splenic pathology

Comparative study of Murid gamma-herpesvirus 4 infection in mice and in a natural host, the bank voles.

Gamma-herpesviruses are archetypal pathogenic persistent viruses. The known human gamma-herpesviruses (Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus) are host-specific and therefore lack a convenient in vivo infection model. This makes related animal gamma-herpesviruses an important source of information. We are studying Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4), a virus originally isolated from bank voles (Myodes glareolus). MuHV-4 infection of inbred laboratory mouse strains (Mus musculus) is commonly used as a general model of gamma-herpesvirus pathogenesis. However, MuHV-4 has not been isolated from house mice, and no systematic comparison has been made between experimental MuHV-4 infections of mice and bank voles. We have therefore characterized MuHV-4 (strain MHV-68) infection of bank voles, both through global luciferase imaging and through classical virological methods. As in mice, intranasal virus inoculation led to productive replication in bank vole lungs, accompanied by massive cellular infiltrates. However, the extent of lytic virus replication was ~1000 fold lower in bank voles than in mice. Peak latency titers in lymphoid tissue were also lower, although latency was still established. Finally, we tested viral transmission between animals maintained in captivity. However, as observed in mice, MuHV-4 did not transmit between voles in these conditions. In conclusion, this study revealed that despite quantitative differences, replication and latency sites of MuHV-4 are comparable in bank voles and in mice. It appears therefore so far that Mus musculus represents a suitable host for studying gamma-herpesvirus pathogenesis with MuHV-4. Establishing transmission conditions in captivity will be a vital step for further research in that field