A Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (McKrae) Mutant Lacking the Glycoprotein K Gene Is Unable To Infect via Neuronal Axons and Egress from Neuronal Cell

ABSTRACT We have shown that the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) gK gene is essential for efficient replication and spread in the corneal epithelium and trigeminal ganglion neuroinvasion in mice (A. T. David, A. Baghian, T. P. Foster, V. N. Chouljenko, and K. G. Kousoulas, Curr. Eye Res. 33:455–467, 2008). To further investigate the role of gK in neuronal infection, we utilized a mi-crofluidic chamber system separating neuronal cell bodies and axonal termini. HSV-1 (McKrae) engineered virus constitutively expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (GFP) was efficiently transmitted in both a retrograde and an anterograde man-ner. These results were corroborated by expression of virion structural proteins in either chamber, as well as detection of viral genomes and infectious viruses. In contrast, efficient infection of either chamber with a gK-null virus did not result in infection of the apposed chamber. These results show that gK is an important determinant in virion axonal infection. Moreover, the in-ability of the gK-null virus to be transmitted in an anterograde manner suggests that virions acquire cytoplasmic envelopes prior to entering axons. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) enters mucosal epithelial cells and neurons via fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes, mediated by viral glycoprotein B (gB) in cooperation with other viral glycoproteins. Retrograde transport of virions to neuronal cell bodies (somata) establishes lifelong latent infection in ganglionic neurons. We have previously re-ported that gK binds gB and is required for gB-mediated membrane fusion (Jambunatathan et al., J. Virol. 85:12910–12918, 2011; V. N. Chouljenko, A. V. Iyer, S. Chowdhury, J. Kim, and K. G. Kousoulas, J. Virol. 84:8596–8606, 2010). In the curren