Visualization of an Alphaherpesvirus Membrane Protein That Is Essential for Anterograde Axonal Spread of Infection in Neurons
- Address correspondence to Lynn W. Enquist, lenquist{at}princeton.edu.
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Editor Terence Dermody, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
IMPORTANCE
Alphaherpesviruses, such as pseudorabies virus (PRV), are parasites of the mammalian nervous system. These viruses spread over long distances in chains of synaptically connected neurons. PRV encodes several proteins that mediate directed virion transport and spread of infection. Us9 is a highly conserved viral membrane protein that is essential for anterograde neuronal spread of infection. In the absence of Us9, newly replicated viral particles are assembled in the cell body but are not sorted into or transported within axons. Here, we constructed and characterized novel PRV strains that express functional green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Us9 fusion proteins in order to visualize its localization in living neurons during infection. This enabled us to better understand the function of Us9 in facilitating the spread of infection. We show that all viral particles moving in the anterograde direction are labeled with GFP-Us9, suggesting that the presence of Us9 determines the capacity for directed transport within axons.
Footnotes
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↵* Present address: University Multispectral Laboratories, Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA.
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Citation Taylor MP, Kramer T, Lyman MG, Kratchmarov R, Enquist LW. 2012. Visualization of an alphaherpesvirus membrane protein that is essential for anterograde axonal spread of infection in neurons. mBio 3(2):e00063-12. doi:10.1128/mBio.00063-12.
- Received 2 March 2012
- Accepted 7 March 2012
- Published 23 March 2012
- Copyright © 2012 Taylor et al.
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