The neurotransmitter calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is enriched in the adult rat trigeminal visceral projection to the cerebral arteries compared both to other neurotransmitters in this projection and to the percentage of CGRP-positive trigeminal cells projecting to cutaneous targets. In colchicine-treated ganglia approximately 30% of adult trigeminal ganglion cells projecting to the mi...

Simian varicella virus (SVV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) are closely related alphaherpesviruses that cause varicella (chickenpox) in nonhuman primates and humans, respectively. After resolution of the primary disease, SVV and VZV establish latent infection of neural ganglia and may later reactivate to cause a secondary disease (herpes zoster). This study investigated SVV gene expression in...

In human ganglia latently infected with varicella-zoster virus (VZV), sequence analysis has revealed that five viral genes (VZV genes 21, 29, 62, 63, and 66) are transcribed. However, their comparative prevalence and abundance are unknown. Here, using real-time PCR, we analyzed 28 trigeminal ganglia from 14 humans for RNA corresponding to the five virus genes known to be transcribed in latently...