Changes in Corneal Innervation after HSV-1 Latency Established with Different Reactivation Phenotypes. (1st February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: He, Jiucheng; Cosby, Richard; Hill, James M.; Bazan, Haydee E. P.
• Is Part Of: Current eye research. Volume 42:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 181
• Page End: 186
• Publication Date: 2017-02-01
• Subjects: Corneal nerve -- corneal sensitivity -- herpetic stromal keratitis -- HSV-1 -- immunofluorescence; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; Eye -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; 573.88
• DOI: 10.3109/02713683.2016.1167919
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-3683

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Purpose of the study : We used a rabbit model infected with high phenotypic reactivators (HPRs) as well as recombinant HSV-1 (herpes simplex virus 1) with deletions to study their effect on corneal innervations after latency was established. Materials and methods : Corneas from noninfected New Zealand white rabbits were used to obtain the entire map of corneal innervation. Others were inoculated with the HSV-1 strains McKrae, 17Syn+, or recombinant mutants with glycoprotein K (gK) deletion, or with infected early protein 0 (ICP0) deletion. The animals were euthanized at 124 to 125 days postinfection and the corneas were immunostained with a mouse monoclonal anti-βIII tubulin antibody. Images were acquired with a fluorescence microscope and corneal sub-basal nerve density was calculated on the basis of the whole mount images. Differences between the HSV-infected eyes, and comparison with normal control, were analyzed. Results : In the noninfected rabbit, the stroma was densely innervated in the central area and as a consequence the sub-basal epithelial nerve bundles were shorter, and no vortex was found. The HSV-infected corneas showed nerve damage in both epithelial and stromal nerves. Corneas infected with ICP0 and gK deletion mutants showed mild to moderate damage, while those infected with 17Syn+ and McKrae strains were seriously damaged. In the eyes infected with ICP0 and gK deletion, there were reduced numbers of sub-basal nerve bundles, but most of the corneas retained a normal stromal network. Corneas infected with 17 Syn+ and McKrae displayed destroyed nerve structures and formation of a scar tissue in the central cornea, in which only a few nerve fibers could be detected. Conclusion : HSV-1 primary corneal infection seriously damages the corneal nerves, persisting for more than 4 months. Reduction of axonal transport (by gK deletion) or virus replication (by ICP0 deletion) significantly attenuated the nerve damage induced by the virus.