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Ex Vivo Organotypic Corneal Model of Acute Epithelial Herpes Simplex Virus Type I Infection
Published on: November 3, 2012
A novel apoptotic interaction between HSV-1 and human corneal epithelial cells
D Miles1, S Athmanathan, A Thakur
1The Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Current Eye Research
|June 20, 2003
Summary
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection down-regulates apoptosis in human corneal epithelial cells, a cell-specific effect. This finding clarifies mechanisms of herpetic keratitis.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a common cause of infectious keratitis, potentially leading to blindness.
- The precise molecular mechanisms underlying herpetic keratitis remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of HSV-1 infection on the apoptotic pathway in human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells.
- To determine if HSV-1 up-regulates or down-regulates apoptosis in HCE cells.
Main Methods:
- HSV-1 infection was established in HCE and Vero cells, confirmed by immunofluorescence.
- Apoptotic gene expression was quantified using ribonuclease protection assays (RPA).
- Caspase 8 protein activity and mRNA levels were measured and compared; the apoptotic index was calculated.
Main Results:
- HSV-1 infection led to down-regulation of apoptotic gene expression in HCE cells, unlike in Vero cells.
- Caspase 8 protein levels correlated with mRNA levels in HSV-1 infected HCE cells.
- The apoptotic index confirmed the observed down-regulation of apoptosis in HCE cells.
Conclusions:
- HSV-1 infection actively down-regulates the apoptotic pathway specifically in human corneal epithelial cells.
- This down-regulation appears to be a cell-specific phenomenon.
- Viral infectivity rate did not influence the regulation of the apoptotic pathway, as HSV-1 replicated similarly in both cell types.
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