Early events required for induction of chromosome abnormalities in human cells by herpes simplex virus

HSV-1 remodels host telomeres to facilitate viral replication

Telomeres protect the ends of cellular chromosomes. We show here that infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) results in chromosomal structural aberrations at telomeres and the accumulation of telomere dysfunction-induced DNA damage foci (TIFs). At the molecular level, HSV-1 induces transcription of telomere repeat-containing RNA (TERRA), followed by the proteolytic degradation of the telomere protein TPP1 and loss of the telomere repeat DNA signal. The HSV-1-encoded E3 ubiquitin ligase ICP0 is required for TERRA transcription and facilitates TPP1 degradation. Small hairpin RNA (shRNA) depletion of TPP1 increases viral replication, indicating that TPP1 inhibits viral replication. Viral replication protein ICP8 forms foci that coincide with telomeric proteins, and ICP8-null virus failed to degrade telomere DNA signal. These findings suggest that HSV-1 reorganizes telomeres to form ICP8-associated prereplication foci and to promote viral genomic replication.

Interactions of viruses with the cellular DNA repair machinery

Mammalian cells are equipped with complex machinery to monitor and repair damaged DNA. In addition to responding to breaks in cellular DNA, recent studies have revealed that the DNA repair machinery also recognizes viral genetic material. We review some examples that highlight the different strategies that viruses have developed to interact with the host DNA repair apparatus. While adenovirus (Ad) inactivates the host machinery to prevent signaling and concatemerization of the viral genome, other viruses may utilize DNA repair to their own advantage. Viral interactions with the repair machinery can also have detrimental consequences for the host cells and their ability to maintain the integrity of the host genome. Exploring the interactions between viruses and the host DNA repair machinery has revealed novel host responses to virus infections and has provided new tools to study the DNA damage response.

Viral induction of site-specific chromosome damage

The advent of advanced cell culture and cytogenetics techniques in the 1950s opened a new avenue for research on the pathogenic interactions between animal viruses and their hosts. Studies of many viruses revealed their ability to nonspecifically induce cytogenetic damage to their host cell's chromosomes. However, only three viruses, the oncogenic adenoviruses, herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), have been found to cause non-random, site-specific chromosomal damage. Adenovirus (Ad) type 12 induces fragility at four distinct loci (RNU1, RNU2, RN5S and PSU1) in many different types of human cells. A common feature of these loci is that they contain a repeated array of transcriptionally active genes encoding small structural RNAs. Site-specific induction of breaks also requires the virally encoded E1B protein of M(r) 55000 and the C-terminus of the cellular p53 protein. Analysis of the induction of damage by HSV and HCMV necessitates consideration of several factors, including the strain of virus used, the timing of infection, the type of cell used, and the multiplicity of infection. Both HSV strains 1 and 2 are cytotoxic, although the former seems to be more proficient at inducing damage. At early times post infection, HSV induces breaks and specific uncoiling of the centromeres of chromosomes 1, 9 and 16. This is followed at later times by a more complete severing of all of the chromosomes, termed pulverisation. Damage by HSV requires viral entry and de novo viral protein synthesis, with immediate early viral proteins responsible for the induction of breaks and uncoiling and early gene products (most likely nucleases) involved in the extensive pulverisation seen later. HCMV has been studied primarily in permissive human fibroblasts. Its ability to induce specific damage in chromosome 1 at two loci, 1q21 and 1q42, was only recently revealed as the cells must be in S-phase when they are infected for the breaks to be observed. In contrast to adenovirus and HSV, HCMV induction of specific breakage requires only viral entry into the cell and not de novo viral protein expression. This latter point may be a factor in its ability to cause damage in the developing fetal brain, where the most severe clinical manifestations of congenital infection are observed.

Cytotoxicity of a replication-defective mutant of herpes simplex virus type 1

Replication-defective mutants of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) may prove useful as vectors for gene transfer, particularly to nondividing cells. Cgal delta 3 is an immediate-early gene 3 (IE 3) deletion mutant of HSV-1 that expresses the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli from the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early control region but does not express viral early or late genes. This vector was able to efficiently infect and express lacZ in cells refractory to traditional methods of gene transfer. However, 1 to 3 days postinfection, Cgal delta 3 induced cytopathic effects (CPE) in many cell types, including neurons. In human primary fibroblasts Cgal delta 3 induced chromosomal aberrations and host cell DNA fragmentation. Other HSV-1 strains that caused CPE, tested under conditions of viral replication-inhibition, included mutants of the early gene UL42, the virion host shutoff function, single mutants of IE 1, IE 2, and IE 3, and double mutants of IE 3 and 4 and IE 3 and 5. Inhibition of viral gene expression by UV irradiation of virus stocks or by preexposure of cells to interferon markedly reduced the CPE. We conclude from these studies that HSV-1 IE gene expression is sufficient for the induction of CPE, although none of the five IE gene products appear to be solely responsible. After infection of human fibroblasts with Cgal delta 3 at a low multiplicity of infection, we were able to recover up to 6% of the input virus 2 weeks later by a superinfection-rescue procedure, even though the virally transduced human cytomegalovirus-lacZ transgene was not expressed at this time. It is therefore likely that inhibition or inactivation of viral IE gene expression, either for establishing latency or for the long-term transduction of foreign genes by HSV-1 vectors, is essential to avoid the death of infected cells.

Herpes simplex virus and human papillomavirus sites correlate with chromosomal breakpoints in human cervical carcinoma

The distribution of 1,912 breakpoints observed in a series of 148 cervical cancers was analyzed. Fifty bands were shown to be nonrandomly involved in chromosome structural rearrangements. One hundred thirty-three breaks were noted in bands known to contain a human papillomavirus integration site, and 454 breaks were noted in bands containing a herpes simplex virus breakage site. We suggest that herpes simplex viruses and, possibly, papillomaviruses play an important role in the carcinogenesis and/or development of cytogenetic abnormalities in cervical cancers.

Viruses and oral cancer

Oral cancer is a disease with a complex etiology. There is evidence for important roles of smoking, drinking, and genetic susceptibility, as well as strong indications that DNA viruses could be involved. The herpes simplex virus type 1 has been associated with oral cancer by serological studies, and animal models and in vitro systems have demonstrated that it is capable of inducing oral cancer. Papillomaviruses are found in many oral cancers and are also capable of transforming cells to a malignant phenotype. However, both virus groups depend on co-factors for their carcinogenic effects. Future research on viruses and oral cancer is expected to clarify the role of these viruses, and this will lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

DNA sequence of mutations induced in cells by herpes simplex virus type-1

The shuttle vector plasmid pZ189 was used to find the kinds of mutations that are induced in cells by herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1). A significant increase in mutation frequency was detected as early as 2 hr after infection, and reached a peak of two- to sevenfold over background at 4 hr after infection. Several differences were detected between spontaneous mutants and those induced by HSV-1 when they were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Point mutations accounted for 63% of spontaneous mutants but for only 44% of HSV-1-induced mutants (P less than 0.05). In each case the predominant type of point mutation was the G:C to A:T transition, which comprised 51% of point mutations induced by HSV-1, and 32% of spontaneous point mutations. Deletions of DNA were seen in HSV-1-induced mutants at a frequency of 44%, compared with only 29% in spontaneous mutants. HSV-1-induced deletions were less than half the length of spontaneous deletions, and 3 contained short filler sequences. An increase in size was seen in 13% of HSV-1-induced mutants and was due either to duplication of plasmid DNA, or, in 8 instances, to insertion of sequences derived from cellular DNA. Among spontaneous mutants, only 8% were increased in size and none of them had inserted cellular DNA. The proportion of complex mutants increased as infection by the virus progressed and they accounted for 79% of mutants at 24 hr after infection. The observed mutations have implications for understanding the "hit and run" mechanism of malignant transformation of cells by HSV-1.

Alterations in the cellular phenotype induced by herpes simplex viruses

Numerous studies have shown that herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2) are able to transform the morphological phenotype of rodent cells. Unlike other DNA tumor viruses the transformed cells did not consistently retain or express a given set of viral genes. In fact, transformation could be obtained using fragments of viral DNA that did not wholly encode viral proteins. Of interest within the transforming fragments were sequences which could assume a secondary structure like that of insertion elements. The failure to detect viral DNA in transformed cells led to the hit-and-run hypothesis of HSV transformation. The mechanism by which HSV induces transformation is not understood. Various lines of investigation have shown that HSV is able to cause mutations--both point mutations and gene rearrangements. HSV is also able to induce gene amplification, particularly of sequences harboring an origin of replication such as SV40 or papillomaviruses. Other experiments have shown that HSV can activate the expression of endogenous type C retroviruses. More broadly, HSV has been shown to activate cellular transcription or to switch on the synthesis of host cell proteins not normally expressed in untransformed cells. The failure to detect viral DNA in a high proportion of human anogenital tumors made it difficult to implicate HSV in the etiology of those neoplasias, but it is consistent, however, with the observations on the mode of HSV transformation in vitro, and suggests that HSV could be involved in a multistage process of oncogenic transformation.

The role of viral and cellular nuclear proteins in herpes simplex virus replication

Following infection of cells by herpes simplex virus, the cell nucleus is subverted for transcription and replication of the viral genome and assembly of progeny nucleocapsids. The transition from host to viral transcription involves viral proteins that influence the ability of the cellular RNA polymerase II to transcribe a series of viral genes. The regulation of RNA polymerase II activity by viral gene products seems to occur by several different mechanisms: (1) viral proteins complex with cellular proteins and alter their transcription-promoting activity (e.g., alpha TIF), (2) viral proteins bind to specific DNA sequences and alter transcription (e.g., ICP4), and (3) viral proteins affect the posttranslational modification of viral or cellular transcriptional regulatory proteins (e.g., possibly ICP27). Thus, HSV may utilize several different approaches to influence the ability of host-cell RNA polymerase II to transcribe viral genes. Although it is known that viral transcription uses the host-cell polymerase II, it is not known whether viral infection causes a change in the structural elements of the nucleus that promote transcription. In contrast, HSV encodes a new DNA polymerase and accessory proteins that complex with and reorganize cellular proteins to form new structures where viral DNA replication takes place. HSV may encode a large number of DNA replication proteins, including a new polymerase, because it replicates in resting cells where these cellular gene products would never be expressed. However, it imitates the host cell in that it localizes viral DNA replication proteins to discrete compartments of the nucleus where viral DNA synthesis takes place. Furthermore, there is evidence that at least one specific viral gene protein can play a role in organizing the assembly of the DNA replication structures. Further work in this system may determine whether assembly of these structures is essential for efficient viral DNA replication and if so, why assembly of these structures is necessary. Thus, the study of the localization and assembly of HSV DNA replication proteins provides a system to examine the mechanisms involved in morphogenesis of the cell nucleus. Therefore, several critical principles are apparent from these discussions of the metabolism of HSV transcription and DNA replication. First, there are many ways in which the activity of RNA polymerase II can be regulated, and HSV proteins exploit several of these in controlling the transcription of a single DNA molecule. Second, the interplay of these multiple regulatory pathways is likely to control the progress of the lytic cycle and may play a role in determining the lytic versus latent infection decision.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Herpes simplex virus gene products involved in the induction of chromosomal aberrations

The effect of short-term herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection on chromosomes of human diploid fibroblasts was examined. In addition to chromosomal breaks, gaps and pulverization, three kinds of cytogenetic damage (double minutes, polyploidy and endoreduplication) not yet reported following productive infection with HSV or other animal viruses were frequently observed. Consistent with previous studies suggesting that the expression of immediate-early and/or early viral gene products is required for the induction of chromosomal damage, was the observation that cells infected at the nonpermissive temperature with HSV-1 temperature-sensitive mutants defective in the gene for the immediate-early transcriptional regulatory protein, ICP4, and three early viral gene products--DNA polymerase (pol), the major HSV DNA-binding protein (ICP8) and an HSV-2 mutant defective in alkaline nuclease--exhibited altered patterns of chromosomal damage relative to the effects of wild-type virus on infected cells. These findings suggest a direct or indirect role for all four gene products in the induction of chromosomal damage. In cells infected with wild-type virus for 4 h or longer, HSV proved to be a more potent mitotic arresting agent than colcemid. Moreover, studies with selected mutants indicate that HSV pol specifically may be involved in mitotic arrest. Additionally, in cells infected at the non-permissive temperature with a pol mutant, the number of polyploid metaphases was reduced 4-fold relative to that seen in wild-type virus-infected cells suggesting a role for HSV pol in the amplification of cellular DNA.

Rabbit kidney cells abortively infected with human cytomegalovirus are arrested in mitotic phase

In rabbit kidney epithelial cells (RK13) abortively infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), DNA synthesis at 1 or 2 days post-infection was enhanced 4 to 5 fold, compared to mock-infected cells. DNA analysis by isopycnic centrifugation revealed that the DNA newly synthesized in the virus infected RK13 cells was of cellular origin. HCMV infection also caused a marked increase in the mitotic activity of RK13 cells. When semi-confluent RK13 cells were infected more than 20 per cent of cells demonstrated mitosis at 72 hours post-infection although the rate of cell growth was considerably reduced compared to that of uninfected cells. The most frequent chromosomal change observed was fragmentation although other aberrations, gap, break, deletion etc. occurred also. Two immediate-early viral polypeptides with apparent molecular weights 72,000 (72K) and 76,000 (76K) daltons were produced in both RK13 cells and human embryonic lung cells (HEL) by 3 hours post-infection. Synthesis of the 76K polypeptide was greater than that of the 72K polypeptide in non-permissive RK13 cells whereas the reverse occurred in permissive HEL cells. Furthermore, of three early polypeptides which were expressed in productively infected HEL cells two, 88K and 80K, were not detected in abortively infected RK13 cells. These results suggest that the arrest in mitosis of the abortively infected RK13 cells and the subsequent chromosomal changes are associated with the altered expression of immediate-early or early virus functions in these cells.

Virus-related pathology: is the continued presence of the virus necessary?

This chapter examines the effect of viruses in inducing modifications in chromosomes, immune system interactions, and cell metabolism to support such a hypothesis that virus may no longer be present when the pathology appears. When vaccines were available to protect the population against the major epidemics, then chronic, recurrent, or persistent infections came into focus. Viruses are everywhere and all organisms are permanently exposed to them. The result of this contact depends on the particular moment a t which a given cell is exposed to the virus. Rubella, for example, provokes a very benign disease in adults, but can induce abnormalities in the differentiating fetus. Although interferon is active against virus aggression, excess interferon has a toxic effect and can block differentiation. The capacity of several viruses to act as cellular mutagens by modifying chromosomes is well established, whatever the molecular mechanism may be. Mutations at the cellular level were carefully analyzed for their tumorigenic potential.

Analysis of the herpes simplex virus genome during in vitro latency in human diploid fibroblasts and rat sensory neurons

We have previously designed in vitro model systems to characterize the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genome during in vitro virus latency. Latency was established by treatment of infected human embryo lung fibroblast (HEL-F) cells or rat fetal neurons with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and human leukocyte interferon and was maintained by increasing the incubation temperature after inhibitor removal. Virus was reactivated by reducing the incubation temperature. We have now examined the HSV-1-specific DNA content of latently infected HEL-F cells and rat fetal neurons treated with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and human leukocyte interferon and increased temperature. The HEL-F cell population contained, on an average, between 0.25 and 0.5 copies of most, if not all, HSV-1 HindIII and XbaI DNA fragments per haploid cell genome equivalent. In contrast, the latently infected neurons contained, on an average, 8 to 10 copies per haploid cell genome equivalent of most HSV-1 BamHI DNA fragments. There was no detectable alteration in size or molarity of the HSV-1 terminal or junction DNA fragments obtained by HindIII, XbaI, or BamHI digestion of the latently infected neuron or HEL-F cell DNA, as compared with digestion of a reconstruction mixture of purified HSV-1 virion and HEL-F cell DNAs. These data suggest that the predominant form of the HSV-1 genome in either latently infected cell population is nonintegrated, linear, and nonconcatameric.

Herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation in isolated rat sensory neurons

An in vitro herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency model has been established using neurons isolated from dissociated rat fetus sensory ganglia as the host cell. Rat fetal neuron cells were pretreated for 24 hr at 37 degrees with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and human leukocyte interferon, infected with HSV-1 (approximately 2.5 plaque-forming units/cell), and treated for 7 days with the same inhibitor combination. Infectious HSV-1 became undetectable 3 days postinfection and remained undetectable during the remainder of the inhibitor treatment. After removal of inhibitors on day 7, infectious virus remained undetectable for 2-7 days; subsequently, virus replication ensued and neuronal cells were destroyed. Incubation of inhibitor-treated, infected neuron cells at 40.5 degrees after removal of inhibitors resulted in extension of the latent period to at least 15 days. HSV-1 was reactivated from latently infected neurons by reducing the incubation temperature from 40.5 to 37 degrees and virus-specific cytopathology was observed in neurons within 96 hr after reducing temperature. This in vitro model system will provide the first system to analyze, in a primary cell type of neuronal origin, the state of the HSV genome during establishment and maintenance of the latent state and during virus reactivation.

The oncogenic potential of herpes simplex viruses: evidence for a 'hit-and-run' mechanism

Experiments to determine the mechanism of transformation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) have identified fragments of viral DNA which are able to initiate transformation. No set of viral genes seems to be consistently retained or expressed in the transformed cells or in human cervical tumours, suggesting that viral DNA is not needed to maintain the transformed phenotype. In fact there is no conclusive evidence that initiation of neoplasia is mediated by a viral protein. Here we revisit the 'hit-and-run' hypothesis and its implications for HSV-induced tumorigenicity.

High efficiency latency and activation of herpes simplex virus in human cells

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) exists in humans in a latent form that can be activated. To characterize the molecular basis of the cell-virus interactions and to analyze the state of the latent HSV genome, an in vitro model system was established. In this system a large fraction of the latently infected cells contain an HSV genome that can be activated. Cell survival was reduced minimally after repression of high multiplicity HSV type 1 (HSV-1) infection of human fibroblast cells with (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine in combination with human leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha). A minimum of 1 to 3 percent of the surviving cells contained an HSV genome that could be activated either by human cytomegalovirus superinfection or reduction in incubation temperature.

Control of nuclear division in sv40 and adenovirus type 12 transformed mouse 3t3 cells

Untransformed, non-tumorigenic mouse cells respond to cytochalasin B (CB) with limited nuclear division. BALB/c mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF) and both BALB/c 3T3 and Swiss 3T3 cells become binucleated in the presence of CB and cells with three or more nuclei are very rare or undetectable. MEF are diploid (40 chromosomes) and 3T3 cells are subtetraploid (74-76 chromosomes). Transformation of MEF by SV40 produces a dramatic change in response to CB. These cells, which contain SV40 T-antigen, become highly multinucleated in the presence of CB. More than 20% of the cells have at least seven nuclei. Also premature chromosome condensation (PCC), an abnormality rare in CB-treated normal cells but one which is common to highly multinucleated cells, is frequent and occurs in at least 10% of mitoses. SV40-transformed MEF have 40 or 80 chromosomes, e.g. are diploid or tetraploid. Transformation of 3T3 by SV40 or adenovirus type 12 does not result in a marked change in the response to CB. Although some trinucleate and tetranucleate cells are formed, cells with more nuclei are undetectable or rare. PCC is also rare. These cells show chromosome numbers somewhat lower than their untransformed parents and in one line the chromosome number appears to decrease with passage of the cells. This failure to undergo a marked change in responsiveness to CB following transformation is not a characteristic of all transformed 3T3 cells. SVT2, a line of 3T3 which was transformed by SV40 prior to its establishment as a continuous line, responds to CB with a high degree of multinucleation. These cells are diploid. These results suggests that 3T3 cells are constitutive for controlled nuclear division and that this feature may be related to chromosome constitution.

Specific C band patterns in continuous human lymphoblastoid cell lines

Analysis of centromeric heterochromatin in five human lymphoblastoid cell lines is described utilizing the C banding technique. Two lines, LK 60 and NC 37 showed a polymorphism for the size of the band on chromosome 1. LK 60 also showed accentuation or stretching of the secondary constriction on No. 1 and in almost all cells studied the affected homolog was also the one with the large C band. Another line SKL-1, also showed an accentuated constriction on chromosome 1 but did not have a detectable polymorphism. NC 37 did not show a constriction. In LK 60 the stretching of the constriction always appeared within the boundaries of the constitutive heterochromatin, regardless of the degree of stretching.SKL-1 and RPMI 6410 showed marker chromosomes with double C bands. One such chromosome appeared in SKL-1 and the bands were relatively widely spaced. However, analysis of this chromosome with standard staining procedures showed that one band was only rarely associated with a constriction while the other band, nearest the telomere, always showed a constriction. In RPMI 6410 two such markers were apparent. In one, the bands were well spaced, to allow an analysis for association with constrictions. In this case one band was always associated with a constriction while the other band showed a constriction in most of the cells. The possibility that these chromosomes are dicentric is discussed.

Hybridization of Burkitt lymphoblastoid cells

Burkitt lymphoblastoid cell lines have been fused to mouse and human cell lines with the use of inactivated Sendai virus. The heterokaryons have developed into somatic cell hybrids of both parental cell types. Chromosome analyses confirm that cells now growing in selective medium are hybrids. Initial observations of preparations of the hybrid cells reveal that 5'-iododeoxyuridine can induce continued synthesis of Epstein-Barr virus antigens by these hybrid cells.