Publications by authors named "Akiko Kawabata"

Introduction: Extrapolated reference values (E-Ref) procedure is a new method for determining the cutoff value without collecting the control data. We tried to apply this method to determine the cutoff value for the distal motor latency of the median nerve (median DML). During this process, we found two pitfalls of the E-Ref method.

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Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and HHV-6B use different cellular receptors, human CD46 and CD134, respectively and have different cell tropisms although they have 90% similarity at the nucleotide level. An important feature that characterizes HHV-6A/6B is the glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/gQ1/gQ2 complex (a tetramer) that each virus has specifically on its envelope. Here, to determine which molecules in the tetramer contribute to the specificity for each receptor, we developed a cell-cell fusion assay system for HHV-6A and HHV-6B that uses the cells expressing CD46 or CD134.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infects over 90% of people. The HHV-6 subtype, HHV-6B in particular, is often associated with exanthem subitum in early childhood. Exanthem subitum is usually self-limiting and good prognosis disease; however, some infants primarily infected with HHV-6B develop encephalitis/encephalopathy, and half of the patients developed encephalopathy reported to have neurological sequelae.

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Primary infection of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) occurs in infants after the decline of maternal immunity and causes exanthema subitum accompanied by a high fever, and it occasionally develops into encephalitis resulting in neurological sequelae. There is no effective prophylaxis for HHV-6B, and its development is urgently needed. The glycoprotein complex gH/gL/gQ1/gQ2 (called 'tetramer of HHV-6B') on the virion surface is a viral ligand for its cellular receptor human CD134, and their interaction is thus essential for virus entry into the cells.

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A unique glycoprotein is expressed on the virus envelope of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B): the complex gH/gL/gQ1/gQ2 (hereafter referred to as the HHV-6B tetramer). This tetramer recognizes a host receptor expressed on activated T cells: human CD134 (hCD134). This interaction is essential for HHV-6B entry into the susceptible cells and is a determinant for HHV-6B cell tropism.

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Background: Amenamevir (AMNV) is a helicase-primase inhibitor with antiviral activity against herpesviruses [herpes simplex viruses (HSV)-1 and -2, and varicella-zoster virus], which are associated with the development of acute herpetic pain (AHP) and postherpetic neuralgia. However, the inhibitory effects of helicase-primase inhibitors on AHP and postherpetic neuralgia remain incompletely understood.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of AMNV on AHP and postherpetic pain (PHP) in HSV-1-infected mice accompanied by zosteriform-like skin lesions.

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The identification of Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) epitopes that are recognized by T-cells could contribute to the development of potential vaccines and immunotherapies. Here, we identified CD4 and H-2K-restricted CD8 T-cell epitopes on the glycoprotein Q1 of HHV-6B (BgQ1), which is a unique glycoprotein and essential for HHV-6B viral entry, by using in vivo electroporation with a plasmid DNA encoding BgQ1, overlapping peptides spanning the BgQ1 sequence, ELISPOT assay for quantification of gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and computer-based T-cell epitope prediction programs. The CD4 and CD8 T-cell epitopes identified in BALB/c mice in this study could be a good animal model system for use in the development of T-cell responses, inducing HHV-6B vaccines or immunotherapies.

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Background: CD134 (OX40), which is a cellular receptor for human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) and expresses on activated T cells, may play a key role for HHV-6B replication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Objectives: Therefore, we examined the CD134 expression on T cells and HHV-6B replication after allo-HSCT, and analyzed the correlation between them.

Study Design: Twenty-three patients after allo-HSCT were enrolled.

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Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) glycoprotein B (gB) is a glycoprotein consisting of 830 amino acids and is essential for the growth of the virus. Previously, we reported that a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) called 87-y-13 specifically reacts with HHV-6A gB, and we identified its epitope residue at asparagine (Asn) 347 on gB. In this study, we examined whether the epitope recognized by the neutralizing MAb is essential for HHV-6A infection.

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Cytokines and chemokines induced by primary human herpes virus (HHV)-6B infection may play a critical role in the clinical manifestations of infection. In this study, we analyzed 40 cytokines/chemokines in febrile children with primary HHV-6B infection. Blood samples from 233 febrile and 36 afebrile patients 0-3 years of age were used for this study.

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The tegument protein U14 of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) constitutes the viral virion structure and is essential for viral growth. To define the characteristics and functions of U14, we determined the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of HHV-6B U14 (U14-NTD) at 1.85 Å resolution.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) glycoprotein B (gB) is an abundantly expressed viral glycoprotein required for viral entry and cell fusion, and is highly conserved among herpesviruses. The present study examined the function of HHV-6 gB cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD). A gB CTD deletion mutant was constructed which, in contrast to its revertant, could not be reconstituted.

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All herpesviruses contain a tegument layer comprising a protein matrix; these proteins play key roles during viral assembly and egress. Here, liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS) of proteins from human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)-infected cells revealed a possible association between two major tegument proteins, U14 and U11. This association was verified by immunoprecipitation experiments.

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Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) U14 is a virion protein with little known function in virus propagation. Here, we elucidated its function by constructing and analyzing U14-mutated viruses. We found that U14 is essential for HHV-6A propagation.

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The human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infection induces cell-cycle arrest. In this study, we found that the HHV-6-encoded U14 protein induced cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase via an association with the cellular protein EDD, a mediator of DNA-damage signal transduction. In the early phase of HHV-6 infection, U14 colocalized with EDD dots in the nucleus, and similar colocalization was also observed in cells transfected with a U14 expression vector.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a T-lymphotrophic virus belongs to the genus Roseolovirus within the beta herpesvirus subfamily. The U20-U24 gene cluster is unique to Roseoloviruses; however, both their function and whether they are essential for virus growth is unknown. Recently, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) techniques have been used to investigate HHV-6A.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) glycoprotein M (gM) is an envelope glycoprotein that associates with glycoprotein N (gN), forming the gM/gN protein complex, in a similar manner to the other herpesviruses. Liquid chromatography-MS/MS analysis showed that the HHV-6 gM/gN complex interacts with the v-SNARE protein, vesicle-associated membrane protein 3 (VAMP3). VAMP3 colocalized with the gM/gN complex at the trans-Golgi network and other compartments, possibly the late endosome in HHV-6-infected cells, and its expression gradually increased during the late phase of virus infection.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), which replicates abundantly in T cells, belongs to the Roseolovirus genus within the betaherpesvirus subfamily. Members of the Roseolovirus genus encode seven unique genes, U20, U21, U23, U24, U24A, U26, and U100. The present study focused on one of these, U23, by analyzing the characteristics of its gene product in HHV-6A-infected cells.

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Human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) is a T lymphotropic β-herpesvirus that is clearly distinct from human herpesvirus-6A (HHV-6A) according to molecular biological features. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses recently classified HHV-6B as a separate species. The primary HHV-6B infection causes exanthem subitum and is sometimes associated with severe encephalopathy.

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Human herpesvirus 6 is a T lymphotropic herpesvirus, long classified into variants A and B (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) based on differences in sequence and pathogenicity. Recently, however, HHV-6A and HHV-6B were reclassified as different species. Here, we isolated a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (Mab) named AgQ 1-1 that was specific for HHV-6A glycoprotein Q1 (AgQ1), and we showed that amino acid residues 494 to 497 of AgQ1 were critical for its recognition by this Mab.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a T-lymphotropic virus belonging to the betaherpesvirus family. Several HHV-6-encoded glycoproteins are required for cell entry and virion maturation. Glycoprotein M (gM) is conserved among all herpesviruses, and therefore thought to have important functions; however, the HHV-6 g has not been characterized.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a T cell-tropic betaherpesvirus. HHV-6 can be classified into two variants, HHV-6A and HHV-6B, based on differences in their genetic, antigenic, and growth characteristics and cell tropisms. The function of HHV-6B should be analyzed more in its life cycle, as more than 90% of people have the antibodies for HHV-6B but not HHV-6A.

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) glycoprotein Q1 (gQ1), a unique gene in HHV-6, forms a complex with glycoproteinH (gH) and gL, which is the viral ligand for its cellular receptor, CD46. However, whether gQ1 is essential for virus growth is unknown, because a system is lacking for making gene knockouts for HHV-6. Recently, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and E.

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In general, enveloped viruses are highly dependent on their lipid envelope for entry into host cells. Here, we demonstrated that during the course of virus maturation, a significant proportion of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) envelope proteins were selectively concentrated in the detergent-resistant glycosphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich membranes (rafts) in HHV-6-infected cells. In addition, the ganglioside GM1, which is known to partition preferentially into lipid rafts, was detected in purified virions, along with viral envelope glycoproteins, gH, gL, gB, gQ1, gQ2 and gO indicating that at least one raft component was included in the viral particle during the assembly process.

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The final envelopment of most herpesviruses occurs at Golgi or post-Golgi compartments, such as the trans Golgi network (TGN); however, the final envelopment site of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is uncertain. In this study, we found novel pathways for HHV-6 assembly and release from T cells that differed, in part, from those of alphaherpesviruses. Electron microscopy showed that late in infection, HHV-6-infected cells were larger than uninfected cells and contained many newly formed multivesicular body (MVB)-like compartments that included small vesicles.

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