FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Viruses2012; 4(8); 1258-1263; doi: 10.3390/v4081258

The role of equine herpesvirus type 4 glycoprotein k in virus replication.

Abstract: Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) is an important equine pathogen that causes respiratory tract disease among horses worldwide. Glycoprotein K (gK) homologues have been identified in several alphaherpesviruses as a major player in virus entry, replication, and spread. In the present study, EHV-4 gK-deletion mutant has been generated by using bacterial artificial chromosome technology and Red mutagenesis to investigate the role of gK in EHV-4 replication. Our findings reported here show that gK is essential for virus replication in vitro and that the gK-negative strain was not able to be reconstituted in equine cells. It is noteworthy that these findings agree with the previously published study describing gK deletion in other alphaherpesviruses.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2012-08-07 PubMed ID: 23012623PubMed Central: PMC3446760DOI: 10.3390/v4081258Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers in this article explored how a protein called glycoprotein K (gK) influences the replication of Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) — a virus causing respiratory disease in horses. They found that gK is essential for the virus’s replication process.

Understanding Equine Herpesvirus 4 and Glycoprotein K

  • Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) is a pathogen that primarily affects horses, causing respiratory tract infections. It is commonly seen worldwide and can have significant impacts on horse health.
  • Glycoprotein K (gK) has been identified in several types of alphaherpesviruses – a subfamily of viruses that includes herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2, and varicella-zoster virus. The protein is known to play crucial roles in virus entry, replication, and spread. Replication refers to the process by which viruses reproduce and increase in number within a host.

Research Methodology and Findings

  • The team generated a gK-deletion mutant form of EHV-4 to gauge the protein’s importance in virus replication. They accomplished this using bacterial artificial chromosome technology and Red mutagenesis.
  • Bacterial artificial chromosomes are DNA constructs, based on a functional fertility plasmid (or F-plasmid), used for transforming and cloning in bacteria. They let researchers sequence, modify, and annotate large fragments of DNA, which is essential when working with complex proteins like gK.
  • Red mutagenesis is a method of DNA engineering that facilitates the introduction of specific mutations into the genes of organisms, allowing researchers to observe how the mutation affects these genes’ functions.
  • Through their research, they found that gK is fundamental for EHV-4 virus’s replication in vitro (in a lab setting), noting that the gK-negative strain (the virus without the gK protein) couldn’t be reconstituted in equine cells.
  • These findings aligned with previously published studies which also described the pivotal role of gK in the replication of alphaherpesviruses.

Implications and Conclusions

  • Understanding the role of proteins such as gK in virus replication can help inform the development of treatments and preventive measures. If gK is indeed crucial for EHV-4 replication, then targeting this protein could potentially stunt the virus’s ability to reproduce and spread, providing a tangible way to control and manage the spread of the disease in horses.
  • While this study only explored the role of gK in EHV-4, the findings line up with existing research on other alphaherpesviruses — potentially suggesting a broader significance of gK’s role in virus replication across different types of viruses within this subfamily.

Cite This Article

APA
Azab W, El-Sheikh A. (2012). The role of equine herpesvirus type 4 glycoprotein k in virus replication. Viruses, 4(8), 1258-1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/v4081258

Publication

Viruses
ISSN: 1999-4915
NlmUniqueID: 101509722
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 4
Issue: 8
Pages: 1258-1263
PII: v4081258

Researcher Affiliations

Azab, Walid
  • Institute of Virology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Haus 18, 10115 Berlin, Germany. wfazab@zedat.fu-berlin.de
El-Sheikh, Abuelyazeed

    MeSH Terms

    • Animals
    • Cell Line
    • Glycoproteins / genetics
    • Glycoproteins / metabolism
    • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
    • Herpesviridae Infections / virology
    • Herpesvirus 4, Equid / genetics
    • Herpesvirus 4, Equid / physiology
    • Horse Diseases / virology
    • Horses
    • Humans
    • Sequence Deletion
    • Viral Proteins / genetics
    • Viral Proteins / metabolism
    • Virus Replication

    References

    This article includes 21 references
    1. Davison AJ, Eberle R, Ehlers B, Hayward GS, McGeoch DJ, Minson AC, Pellett PE, Roizman B, Studdert MJ, Thiry E. The order Herpesvirales.. Arch Virol 2009;154(1):171-7.
      doi: 10.1007/s00705-008-0278-4pmc: PMC3552636pubmed: 19066710google scholar: lookup
    2. Roizman B. Herpesviridae. 1996. pp. 2221–2230.
    3. Patel JR, Heldens J. Equine herpesviruses 1 (EHV-1) and 4 (EHV-4)--epidemiology, disease and immunoprophylaxis: a brief review.. Vet J 2005 Jul;170(1):14-23.
      doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2004.04.018pubmed: 15993786google scholar: lookup
    4. Foster TP, Kousoulas KG. Genetic analysis of the role of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein K in infectious virus production and egress.. J Virol 1999 Oct;73(10):8457-68.
      pmc: PMC112865pubmed: 10482598doi: 10.1128/jvi.73.10.8457-8468.1999google scholar: lookup
    5. Hutchinson L, Johnson DC. Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein K promotes egress of virus particles.. J Virol 1995 Sep;69(9):5401-13.
      pmc: PMC189384pubmed: 7636985doi: 10.1128/jvi.69.9.5401-5413.1995google scholar: lookup
    6. Neubauer A, Osterrieder N. Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) glycoprotein K is required for efficient cell-to-cell spread and virus egress.. Virology 2004 Nov 10;329(1):18-32.
      doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2004.07.034pubmed: 15476871google scholar: lookup
    7. Dietz P, Klupp BG, Fuchs W, Köllner B, Weiland E, Mettenleiter TC. Pseudorabies virus glycoprotein K requires the UL20 gene product for processing.. J Virol 2000 Jun;74(11):5083-90.
      doi: 10.1128/JVI.74.11.5083-5090.2000pmc: PMC110860pubmed: 10799582google scholar: lookup
    8. Spear PG. Entry of alphaherpesviruses into cells. seminars in virology 1993;4:167–180.
      doi: 10.1006/smvy.1993.1012google scholar: lookup
    9. Zhang S, Xiang J, Cheng A, Wang M, Wu Y, Yang X, Zhu D, Jia R, Luo Q, Chen Z, Chen X. Characterization of duck enteritis virus UL53 gene and glycoprotein K.. Virol J 2011 May 17;8:235.
      doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-8-235pmc: PMC3120784pubmed: 21586146google scholar: lookup
    10. Azab W, El-Sheikh A, Abdel-Gawad A. In vitro characterization of EHV-4 gG-deleted mutant.. Virus Genes 2012 Feb;44(1):109-11.
      doi: 10.1007/s11262-011-0677-6pubmed: 21960433google scholar: lookup
    11. Azab W, Kato K, Arii J, Tsujimura K, Yamane D, Tohya Y, Matsumura T, Akashi H. Cloning of the genome of equine herpesvirus 4 strain TH20p as an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome.. Arch Virol 2009;154(5):833-42.
      doi: 10.1007/s00705-009-0382-0pubmed: 19387789google scholar: lookup
    12. Azab W, Osterrieder N. Glycoproteins D of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and EHV-4 determine cellular tropism independently of integrins.. J Virol 2012 Feb;86(4):2031-44.
      doi: 10.1128/JVI.06555-11pmc: PMC3302398pubmed: 22171258google scholar: lookup
    13. Azab W, Tsujimura K, Kato K, Arii J, Morimoto T, Kawaguchi Y, Tohya Y, Matsumura T, Akashi H. Characterization of a thymidine kinase-deficient mutant of equine herpesvirus 4 and in vitro susceptibility of the virus to antiviral agents.. Antiviral Res 2010 Feb;85(2):389-95.
      pubmed: 19931566doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2009.11.007google scholar: lookup
    14. Azab W, Tsujimura K, Maeda K, Kobayashi K, Mohamed YM, Kato K, Matsumura T, Akashi H. Glycoprotein C of equine herpesvirus 4 plays a role in viral binding to cell surface heparan sulfate.. Virus Res 2010 Jul;151(1):1-9.
      pubmed: 20236610doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2010.03.003google scholar: lookup
    15. Tischer BK, von Einem J, Kaufer B, Osterrieder N. Two-step red-mediated recombination for versatile high-efficiency markerless DNA manipulation in Escherichia coli.. Biotechniques 2006 Feb;40(2):191-7.
      pubmed: 16526409doi: 10.2144/000112096google scholar: lookup
    16. Telford EA, Watson MS, Perry J, Cullinane AA, Davison AJ. The DNA sequence of equine herpesvirus-4.. J Gen Virol 1998 May;79 ( Pt 5):1197-203.
      pubmed: 9603335doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-79-5-1197google scholar: lookup
    17. Stroh T, Erben U, Kühl AA, Zeitz M, Siegmund B. Combined pulse electroporation--a novel strategy for highly efficient transfection of human and mouse cells.. PLoS One 2010 Mar 2;5(3):e9488.
      pmc: PMC2830457pubmed: 20209146doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009488google scholar: lookup
    18. Foster TP, Rybachuk GV, Alvarez X, Borkhsenious O, Kousoulas KG. Overexpression of gK in gK-transformed cells collapses the Golgi apparatus into the endoplasmic reticulum inhibiting virion egress, glycoprotein transport, and virus-induced cell fusion.. Virology 2003 Dec 20;317(2):237-52.
      doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2003.07.008pubmed: 14698663google scholar: lookup
    19. Hutchinson L, Graham FL, Cai W, Debroy C, Person S, Johnson DC. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoproteins B and K inhibit cell fusion induced by HSV syncytial mutants.. Virology 1993 Oct;196(2):514-31.
      doi: 10.1006/viro.1993.1507pubmed: 8396800google scholar: lookup
    20. Jayachandra S, Baghian A, Kousoulas KG. Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein K is not essential for infectious virus production in actively replicating cells but is required for efficient envelopment and translocation of infectious virions from the cytoplasm to the extracellular space.. J Virol 1997 Jul;71(7):5012-24.
      pmc: PMC191734pubmed: 9188566doi: 10.1128/jvi.71.7.5012-5024.1997google scholar: lookup
    21. Klupp BG, Baumeister J, Dietz P, Granzow H, Mettenleiter TC. Pseudorabies virus glycoprotein gK is a virion structural component involved in virus release but is not required for entry.. J Virol 1998 Mar;72(3):1949-58.
      pmc: PMC109487pubmed: 9499048doi: 10.1128/jvi.72.3.1949-1958.1998google scholar: lookup

    Citations

    This article has been cited 2 times.
    1. Oliver SL. The Structures and Functions of VZV Glycoproteins. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2023;438:25-58.
      doi: 10.1007/82_2021_243pubmed: 34731265google scholar: lookup
    2. Liu D, Zhao X, Wang X. The Genomic Characterization of Equid Alphaherpesviruses: Structure, Function, and Genetic Similarity. Vet Sci 2025 Mar 3;12(3).
      doi: 10.3390/vetsci12030228pubmed: 40266963google scholar: lookup
    Subscribe to our newsletter
    Join 100,127 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.