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J. Virol. doi:10.1128/JVI.02327-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) Induces CD83 Degradation in Mature Dendritic Cells with Immediate Early Kinetics via the Cellular Proteasome

Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany; MRC Virology Unit, Institute of Virology, University of Glasgow, Church St., Glasgow G11 5JR, Scotland, United Kingdom; Department of Immunology and Molecular Pathology, University College London, London W1P 6DB; BioVex Ltd., Oxford OX14 4RX, United Kingdom

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: alexander.prechtel{at}derma.imed.uni-erlangen.de.

	Abstract

Mature Dendritic Cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells within the human immune system. However, Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is able to interfere with DC biology and to establish latency in infected individuals. In this study we provide new insights into the mechanism by which HSV-1 disarms DCs by the manipulation of CD83, a functionally important molecule for DC activation. FACS analyses revealed a rapid downmodulation of CD83 surface expression within 6-8h after HSV-1 infection, in a manner strictly dependent on viral gene expression. Soluble CD83 ELISA assays together with Western blot analysis demonstrated that CD83 rapidly disappears from the cell surface after contact with HSV-1 by a mechanism that involves protein degradation rather than shedding of CD83 from the cell surface into the medium. Infection experiments with an ICP0 deletion mutant demonstrated an important role for this viral Immediate-Early protein during CD83 degradation, since this particular mutant strain leads to strongly reduced CD83 degradation. This hypothesis was further strengthened by co-transfection of plasmids expressing CD83 and ICP0 into 293T cells, which led to significantly reduced accumulation of CD83. In strong contrast, transfection of plasmids expressing CD83 and a mutant ICP0 defective in its RING finger-mediated E3 ubiquitin ligase function did not reduce CD83 expression. Inhibition of the proteasome, the cellular protein degradation machinery, almost completely restored CD83 surface expression during HSV-1 infection, indicating that proteasome-mediated degradation and HSV-1 ICP0 play crucial roles in this novel viral immune escape mechanism.