UNLABELLED In order to understand factors that may influence latency-associated transcription and latency-associated transcript (LAT) phenotypes, we studied the expression of the herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) LAT-associated microRNAs (miRNAs). We mapped the transcription initiation sites of all three primary miRNA transcripts and identified the ICP4-binding sequences at the transcription initi...

Infectious virus assays and PCR amplification of DNA and RNA were used to investigate herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA replication and gene expression in the rabbit corneal model for virus reactivation in vivo. We used carefully defined latency-associated transcript-negative (LAT-) and LAT+ promoter mutants of the 17syn+ strain of HSV type 1. In agreement with earlier studies using a more extensi...

During latency, herpes simplex virus expresses a unique set of latency-associated transcripts (LATs). As the 2.0-kb LAT intron is complementary to, and overlaps, the 3' end of the ICP0 transcript, it has been suggested that the stable LAT intron might function as an antisense repressor of ICP0 expression. We tested this hypothesis in cell culture by dissociating cis- and trans-acting effects of...

herpes simplex virus 1 (hsv-1) unspliced 8.3 latency associated transcript (lat), which located in the long repeat sequences, has been shown to contain at least 16 open reading frames (orf: a-p). one of these orf, orf p, maps almost entirely antisense to hsv-1 neurovirulence gene, icp34.5. both orf p and icp34.5 are located in the long repeat and are antisense overlapping genes. therefore, in o...

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency associated transcript (LAT) gene's anti-apoptosis activity plays a central, but not fully elucidated, role in enhancing the virus's reactivation phenotype. In transient transfection experiments, LAT increases cell survival following an apoptotic insult in the absence of other HSV-1 genes. However, the high background of untransfected cells has mad...

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency-associated transcript (LAT) is the only abundant viral transcript expressed in latently infected neurons. LAT inhibits apoptosis, suggesting that it regulates latency by promoting the survival of infected neurons. The LAT locus also contains a newly described gene (AL), which is antisense to LAT and partially overlaps LAT encoding sequences. When ...

α-Herpesvirinae subfamily members, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1), initiate infection in mucosal surfaces. BHV-1 and HSV-1 enter sensory neurons by cell-cell spread where a burst of viral gene expression occurs. When compared to non-neuronal cells, viral gene expression is quickly extinguished in sensory neurons resulting in neuronal survival and...

During herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) lifelong latency in human peripheral sensory ganglia (PSG), only the viral latency-associated transcript (LAT) gene is expressed. This raises the possibility that this gene is involved in establishment of latency of the virus, its maintenance, or reactivation. Here we present data that indicate yet another independent function of the LAT gene: interfer...

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect herpes simplex virus (HSV) sequences in the DNA, and HSV gene expression in total cell RNA, extracted from cervical and trigeminal ganglia of mice during productive and latent infection with HSV-1, strain SC16. Such gene expression was detected in 1 microgram or less of RNA, the quantity anticipated to be present in one or two cervical ...