Summary/Abstract – Administrative Core The long-term objectives of this Program Project are to elucidate host and viral mechanisms that tilt the interaction of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and neurons either towards lytic infection or towards latency. HSV latency is the most fascinating biological property of the virus and its most important clinical feature, and understanding HSV latency may lead to new therapies or even a cure for this widespread pathogen. Five different components of the program project -- three projects and two cores -- perform the research to address these objectives. These scientific components are distinct, yet very closely interwoven, so lack of coordination could delay progress. To coordinate and integrate these scientific components, and monitor progress, the Program Directors lead weekly phone conferences and multiple face-to-face meetings of the project and core leaders and more junior personnel to share results and hypotheses, plan experiments, arrange reagent sharing, discuss interpretations, and write papers. At least one meeting each year coincides with a symposium. Both an internal and an external advisory committee provide feedback. The Program Directors also oversee financial matters. Administrative assistants support the program directors in these efforts by arranging phone conferences, meetings, and travel, and helping with shipping of reagents, sharing of data and manuscripts, and with financial oversight. The Administrative Core will also establish a website hosted in the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology that allows data sharing among all the investigators in the Program Project.