Herpes Flashcards
Herpes Latency Key Points
- Latency produces a chronic infection
*latently infected cells are not recognized as being infected by CD8+ T cells, thus they are not cleared
*virus is not actively replicating, thus there is no available target for antivirals to act upon
*herpes genome maintained as circular, extra-chromosomal DNA
- Limited transcription generates LATs (latency-assoc. transcripts)
*LATs do not encode a viral protein
*encode a regulatory microRNA (miRNA)
*miRNAs inhibit expression of viral genes
- Some heresviruses express a few viral proteins to help maintain latency
Herpes Reactivation Key Points
- Reactivation
*may or may not result in clincal disease, however, infected individual is infectious and can transmit virus
*infection is endogenous and does not require re-exposure to the virus
*may be frequent in immunocompromised hosts
*recurrent infections are less severe, more localized and cleared more quickly b/c of immunological memory
Herpes Productive Infection Key points
- Viral gene expression and replication of the genome occurs in stages:
*immediate-early (alpha) genes
*early (beta) genes (genome replication)
*late (gamma) genes
Cell types infected by herpesviruses in vivo graph
Herpes clinical manifestation of infection chart
Herpes virus attachment
- Alpha: HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV
*Initial attachment via heparin sulfate (glycosaminoglycan found on most cells)
*Tighter attachment via a variety of cell surface receptors, collectively called herpesvirus entry mediators (HVEM)
- EBV (gamma virus)
*receptor for C3d component of complement (called CD211 or CR2); receptor present on B-cells
Herpes virus entry and uncoating
- Viral/cell fusion at the plasma membrane or receptore mediated endocytosis
- Capsid and some tegument proteins migrate to the nucleus, other proteins remain in the cytoplasm
*CMV tegument contains mRNA to help initiate viral replication
- Uncoating occurs at the nuclear membrane
EBV Latency
- Occurs in B-cells
Acyclovir
- Nucleoside (guanosine) analogue that inhibits productive herpesvirus replication
- Antiviral drug that is only active in an infected cell during productive infection
- MOA:
*requires phosphorylation to be acitve
*1st phosphate added by a virus specific enzyme, thymidine kinase (more actively phosphorylated by HSV’s than VZV’s)
*2nd and 3rd phosphates added by cellular enzymes
*competitively inhibits dGTP for insertion into DNA
*lacks a 3’-OH group so it can not accept a base; chain termination
Acyclovir-resistant HSV w/thymidine kinase mutations will still be susceptible to cidofovir
Ganciclovir
- Guanosine analogue
- Active against CMV
- MOA:
*phosphorylated by a protein kinase phosphotransferase (UL97) encoded by CMV
*competitively inhibits incorporation of dGTP into DNA; chain termination
*cellular enzymes can also phosphorylate ganciclovir; some toxicity
*inhibits viral DNA polymerase preferentially over cellular DNA polymerase
*has activity against other herpesviruses; HSV, VZV, EBV, HHV-6 and HHV-8
Cidofovir
- Cytidine analogue
- Already has 1 phosphate group on it so its going to be active in both an infected and non-infected cell
- MOA:
*Has 1 phosphate; 2nd and 3rd are added by cellular enzymes
*Higher affinity for viral DNA polymerases than cellular DNA polymerases
*Competes w/dCTP for incorporation into DNA
Acyclovir-resistant HSV w/thymidine kinase mutations will still be susceptible to cidofovir
Foscarnet
- Pyrophosphate analogue
- Prevents cleavage of pyrophosphate from dNTPs, stopping DNA synthesis
- Binds to herpesvirus DNA polymerases and HIV reverse transcriptase
- Ganciclovir and cidofovir- resistant isolates of CMV are usually still susceptible to foscarnet
- Higher affinity for viral polymerases than cellular polymerases
HSV types of infection
- Encephalitis usally HSV-1
- Meningitis usually HSV-2
- Encephalitis assoc. w/neonatal herpes usally HSV-2
HSV-1 Primary Infection
- Localized throughout the mouth
- Enters neurons at site of infection and travels via retrograde transport to the trigeminal ganglion
HSV-2 Primary Infection
- Remains localized at the genital mucosa
- Enters neurons at site of infection
- Travels via retrograde transport to the sacral ganglion where it establishes latent infection