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Review
. 2019 Jul;29(4):e2054.
doi: 10.1002/rmv.2054. Epub 2019 Jun 13.

Characteristics of herpes simplex virus infection and pathogenesis suggest a strategy for vaccine development

Xingli Xu  1 , Ying Zhang  1 , Qihan Li  1
Affiliations
Review

Characteristics of herpes simplex virus infection and pathogenesis suggest a strategy for vaccine development

Xingli Xu et al. Rev Med Virol. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause oral or genital ulcerative lesions and even encephalitis in various age groups with high infection rates. More seriously, HSV may lead to a wide range of recurrent diseases throughout a lifetime. No vaccines against HSV are currently available. The accumulated clinical research data for HSV vaccines reveal that the effects of HSV interacting with the host, especially the host immune system, may be important for the development of HSV vaccines. HSV vaccine development remains a major challenge. Thus, we focus on the research data regarding the interactions of HSV and host immune cells, including dendritic cells (DCs), innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), macrophages, and natural killer (NK) cells, and the related signal transduction pathways involved in immune evasion and cytokine production. The aim is to explore possible strategies to develop new effective HSV vaccines.

Keywords: Herpes simplex virus; immunity; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interactions of herpes simplex virus (HSV) surface glycoproteins and tegument proteins with cellular components to interfere with host defense. At least five glycoproteins, gB, gC, gD, gH, and gL, have been demonstrated to enable interactions with epithelial cellular receptors or immune cells to promote virus entry or proliferation or even to disrupt innate and adaptive immunity. In addition, some tegument proteins play important roles, for example, roles in viral proliferation, viral virulence, and host immunity evasion, through interacting with cellular molecules
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evasion of the IFN‐I signaling pathway by HSV1. Cellular receptors or sensors, such as TLR‐2, TLR‐3, TLR‐9, and cGAS, recognize glycoproteins or double‐stranded DNA and trigger IFN‐I production through the transmission of a series of signals. Multiple steps in the IFN‐I signaling pathway can be targeted by HSV1 proteins. CBP, CREB‐binding protein; P, phosphate
Figure 3
Figure 3
Tactics for herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine development. The design of HSV vaccine candidates would be required to achieve at least six objectives including viral replication cycle mimicry, appropriation of the host immune response, lowest infectivity possible in immune cells, limited interference with host apoptosis, lowest possible or no pathological effect, and lowest possible or no neurotropic infectivity
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