# Molecular and cellular mechanisms of HSV-1 assembly and egress

> **NIH NIH R01** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2023 · $35,384

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Alpha herpesviruses, including the important human pathogen Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), are
among the very few viruses that have evolved to exploit highly-specialized neuronal cell biology. During the
natural course of disease, alpha herpesviruses infect peripheral nervous system (PNS) ganglia, persist as a
life-long latent infection, and occasionally reactivate to cause recurrent lesions in peripheral tissues, or can
spread to infect the central nervous system. Upon reactivation, replication, and assembly, progeny virus
particles can exit from the soma/dendrites of infected neurons, or can sort into axons and undergo long-
distance axonal transport. HSV-1, in particular, is a leading cause of viral encephalitis, and may also contribute
to the development of neurodegenerative disease.
 The main objective of this supplement proposal is to determine the microtubule motor-based
mechanisms that mediate axonal sorting, specifically in PNS neurons. In Aim 1, we will determine the roles of
different kinesin motors and microtubule-associated proteins in intracellular transport of progeny virus particles
in non-neuronal cells by live-cell imaging. In Aim 2, we will determine the roles of these motors and
microtubule-associated proteins in axonal sorting in primary neurons, using a microfluidics-like chambered
neuronal culture system. In this supplement application, the proposed experiments are novel, but are within the
scope of the parent R01 award.
 Elucidating the basic cell biological processes that our viruses use in both neurons and non-neuronal
cells will increase our understanding of how and why herpesviruses spread to and within the nervous system,
lead to the identification of druggable targets and development of better therapies for viral neuropathology, and
may provide fundamental insights into cell biology, particularly of the cell biology of neurons.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10842129
- **Project number:** 3R01NS117513-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Ian B Hogue
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $35,384
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10842129

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10842129, Molecular and cellular mechanisms of HSV-1 assembly and egress (3R01NS117513-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10842129. Licensed CC0.

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