Inhibition of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase suppresses herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) keratitis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Herpes keratitis (HK) remains the leading cause of cornea-derived blindness in the developed world, despite the availability of effective antiviral drugs. Treatment toxicity and the emergence of drug resistance highlight the need for additional therapeutic approaches. This study examined ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), an apical kinase in the host DNA damage response, as a potential new target for the treatment of HK.

Methods

Small molecule inhibitor of ATM (KU-55933) was used to treat herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in three experimental models: (1) in vitro--cultured human corneal epithelial cells, hTCEpi, (2) ex vivo--organotypically explanted human and rabbit corneas, and (3) in vivo--corneal infection in young C57BL/6J mice. Infection producti

SUBMITTER: Alekseev O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3912898 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature