After fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) capsids are transported along microtubules (MTs) from the cell periphery to the nucleus. The motor ATPase cytoplasmic dynein and its multisubunit cofactor dynactin mediate most transport processes directed toward the minus-ends of MTs. Immunofluorescence microscopy experiments demonstrated that HSV1 capsids colocalized with cytoplasmic dynein and dynactin. We blocked the function of dynein by overexpressing the dynactin subunit dynamitin, which leads to the disruption of the dynactin complex. We then infected such cells with HSV1 and measured the efficiency of particle binding, virus entry, capsid transport to the nucleus, and the expression of immediate-early viral genes. High concentrations of dynamitin and dynamitin-GFP reduced the number of viral capsids transported to the nucleus. Moreover, viral protein synthesis was inhibited, whereas virus binding to the plasma membrane, its internalization, and the organization of the MT network were not affected. We concluded that incoming HSV1 capsids are propelled along MTs by dynein and that dynein and dynactin are required for efficient viral capsid transport to the nucleus. INTRODUCTIONTo initiate a successful infection, animal viruses bind to the cell surface, penetrate into the cytosol, and target their genome to the sites of viral transcription and replication. For many viruses this is the host nucleus (Whittaker et al., 2000). Particular neurotropic viruses that enter at the presynaptic plasma membrane, such as herpes simplex viruses, are transported over long distances because the site of entry is far away from the nucleus. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) is a human pathogen that initially replicates in epithelial cells of the oral cavity. Amplified virus enters neurons and is transported to the neuronal nuclei located in the trigeminal ganglion (reviewed in Enquist et al., 1998). After lytic infection of some neurons, a latent infection is established (Wagner and Bloom, 1997).We have calculated that it would take 231 years for a herpes virus capsid to diffuse by 10 mm in the axonal cytoplasm (Sodeik, 2000). High concentrations of protein, the cytoskeleton, and organelles cause molecular crowding in the cytoplasm, which effectively restricts free diffusion of molecules larger than 500 kDa (Luby-Phelps, 2000). Thus, virions and subviral particles are transported by active processes. Besides hijacking vesicular transport during endocytosis and secretion, viruses also exploit the host's cytoskeleton directly for their itinerary (Sodeik, 2000;Ploubidou and Way, 2001).HSV1 virions consist of four structural components: DNA, capsid, tegument, and envelope (Steven and Spear, 1997;Zhou et al., 2000). The icosahedral capsid with a diameter of 125 nm surrounds the double-stranded viral DNA of 152 kb. The tegument, the hallmark of all herpes viruses, is an amorphous layer of ϳ20 proteins. It is localized between the capsid and the viral envelope that contains ϳ12 membrane ...

Capsids and the enclosed DNA of adenoviruses, including the species C viruses adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) and Ad5, and herpesviruses, such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), are targeted to the nuclei of epithelial, endothelial, fibroblastic, and neuronal cells. Cytoplasmic transport of fluorophore-tagged Ad2 and immunologically detected HSV-1 capsids required intact microtubules and the microtubule-dependent minus-enddirected motor complex dynein-dynactin. A recent study with epithelial cells suggested that Ad5 was transported to the nucleus and expressed its genes independently of a microtubule network. To clarify the mechanisms by which Ad2 and, as an independent control, HSV-1 were targeted to the nucleus, we treated epithelial cells with nocodazole ( Many viruses, including adenoviruses (Ads) and herpesviruses, spread by intracellular transport within infected host cells, thus increasing the viral load in target organs and possibly causing severe disease (44). The 51 human Ad serotypesclassified into six species (A to F)-have distinct tropisms (19). For example, Ad type 2 (Ad2) and Ad5 (species C) and Ad3 (species B) are associated with upper-airway infections. Other serotypes are linked to epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (species D), pneumonia (species E), enteric infections (species A and F), or infections of hematopoietic cells (41). The Herpesviridae family consists of the alpha-, beta-and gammaherpesviruses. Like Ads, alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), infect different cell types both in cultures and in their hosts. After infection of mucosal or damaged cutaneous epithelium, these neurotropic viruses establish latent infections, primarily in sensory ganglia, that, upon reactivation, lead to recurrent epidermal lesions (40, 55). The ability to infect a broad range of postmitotic cells has made both Ads and herpesviruses useful gene delivery vehicles (21) that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials (29,39). For their application as therapeutic vectors and to identify new potential targets for antiviral therapy, it is crucial to understand how the genomes are targeted to the nucleus.The entry mechanisms for Ads and herpesviruses have been well studied. Ads are internalized by receptor-mediated endocytosis that is dependent on F actin and leave the endosomal pathway at various sites (recently reviewed in reference 11). The species C Ads, including Ad2 and Ad5, exit from a slightly acidic compartment of pH 6 at about 10 min postentry (16, 42), whereas Ad7 (species B) has been reported to escape from acidic late endosomes and lysosomes (32). In contrast, HSV-1 delivers its capsids into the cytosol upon fusion of the viral envelope with the plasma membrane (45,46). Both viruses then target their capsids to the cell nucleus, uncoat, and inject the enclosed linear double-stranded DNA genomes through the nuclear pores into the nucleoplasm for replication (14,35,53). A number of electron microscopy studies have shown that cytoplasmic capsids of both species C Ads and alpha...

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is an alphaherpesvirus that has been reported to infect some epithelial cell types by fusion at the plasma membrane but others by endocytosis. To determine the molecular mechanisms of productive HSV-1 cell entry, we perturbed key endocytosis host factors using specific inhibitors, RNA interference (RNAi), or overexpression of dominant negative proteins and investigated their effects on HSV-1 infection in the permissive epithelial cell lines Vero, HeLa, HEp-2, and PtK 2 . HSV-1 internalization required neither endosomal acidification nor clathrin-or caveolin-mediated endocytosis. In contrast, HSV-1 gene expression and internalization were significantly reduced after treatment with 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA). EIPA blocks the activity of Na ؉ /H ؉ exchangers, which are plasma membrane proteins implicated in all forms of macropinocytosis. HSV-1 internalization furthermore required the function of p21-activated kinases that contribute to macropinosome formation. However, in contrast to some forms of macropinocytosis, HSV-1 did not enlist the activities of protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinases, C-terminal binding protein 1, or dynamin to activate its internalization. These data suggest that HSV-1 depends on Na ؉ /H ؉ exchangers and p21-activated kinases either for macropinocytosis or for local actin rearrangements required for fusion at the plasma membrane or subsequent passage through the actin cortex underneath the plasma membrane. IMPORTANCE After initial replication in epithelial cells, herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) establish latent infections in neurons innervating these regions.Upon primary infection and reactivation from latency, HSVs cause many human skin and neurological diseases, particularly in immunocompromised hosts, despite the availability of effective antiviral drugs. Many viruses use macropinocytosis for virus internalization, and many host factors mediating this entry route have been identified, although the specific perturbation profiles vary for different host and viral cargo. In addition to an established entry pathway via acidic endosomes, we show here that HSV-1 internalization depended on sodium-proton exchangers at the plasma membrane and p21-activated kinases. These results suggest that HSV-1 requires a reorganization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton, either for productive cell entry via pHindependent fusion from macropinosomes or for fusion at the plasma membrane, and subsequent cytosolic passage to microtubules that mediate capsid transport to the nucleus for genome uncoating and replication.

Mucosal epithelia are invaded from the apical surface during a primary infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). HSV-1 progeny virus, synthesized from latently infected peripheral neurons that innervate such epithelia, reinfects the epithelia most likely from the basolateral surface. The epithelial cell lines MDCK and Caco-2 can be induced in vitro to differentiate into polarized cells with distinct apical and plasma membrane domains separated by tight junctions if they are cultured on porous membrane filters. Our data using these culture systems showed that highly polarized epithelial cells were not susceptible to apical HSV-1 infection. However, HSV-1 infected these cells if added from the basolateral surface or if a depletion of extracellular Ca 2+ had weakened the strength of the cell-cell contacts. Basolateral infection and apical infection after the Ca 2+ switch required an intact microtubule network for genome targeting to the nucleus. This system can be used to identify the microtubule motors that HSV-1 uses during virus entry in polarized epithelial cells.