Discovery and preliminary structure-activity relationship of the marine natural product manzamines as herpes simplex virus type-1 inhibitors.

Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) is a member of alpha-herpesviridae family and is known to cause contagious human infections. The marine habitat is a rich source of structurally unique bioactive secondary metabolites. A small library of marine natural product classes 1-10 has been screened to discover a new hit entity active against HSV-1.

Lytic HSV-1 infection induces the multifunctional transcription factor Early Growth Response-1 (EGR-1) in rabbit corneal cells.

Background: Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) infections can cause a number of diseases ranging from simple cold sores to dangerous keratitis and lethal encephalitis. The interaction between virus and host cells, critical for viral replication, is being extensively investigated by many laboratories. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that HSV-1 lytic infection triggers the expression of important multi-functional transcription factor Egr1.

Manzamine A as a novel inhibitor of herpes simplex virus type-1 replication in cultured corneal cells.

This study investigated the putative inhibitory effect of manzamine A on HSV-1 infection. Our results indicated that manzamine A effectively inhibited viral replication and infection in the cell line SIRC, a corneal cell line, at 1 µM. The existing anti-HSV-1 drug acyclovir was analyzed and showed a comparable activity at 50 µM.

Thyroid hormone controls the gene expression of HSV-1 LAT and ICP0 in neuronal cells.

Various factors/pathways including hormonal regulation have been suggested to control herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency and reactivation. Our computer analysis identified a DNA repeat containing thyroid hormone-responsive elements (TRE) in the regulatory region of HSV-1 latency-associated transcript (LAT). Thyroid hormone (triiodothyronine, T(3)) functions via its receptor TR (thyroid hormone receptor), a transcription factor.

Regulation of herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene expression by thyroid hormone receptor in cultured neuronal cells.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) undergoes acute infection in epithelial cells followed by establishment of latency in the neurons of trigeminal ganglia. The latent virus maintains a dormant state and can recurs spontaneously, suggesting transcriptional silencing and reactivation occur in neurons. Computer data mining identified a nuclear hormone response element (NRE), the binding site for the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) or other nuclear hormone receptor, in the promoter of HSV-1 thymidine kinase (TK).