Sensory Nerve Retraction and Sympathetic Nerve Innervation Contribute to Immunopathology of Murine Recurrent Herpes Stromal Keratitis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) represents a spectrum of pathologies which is caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection and is considered a leading cause of infectious blindness. HSV-1 infects corneal sensory nerves and establishes latency in the trigeminal ganglion (TG). Recently, retraction of sensory nerves and replacement with "unsensing" sympathetic nerves was identified as a critical contributor of HSK in a mouse model where corneal pathology is caused by primary infection. This resulted in the loss of blink reflex, corneal desiccation, and exacerbation of inflammation leading to corneal opacity. Despite this, it was unclear whether inflammation associated with viral reactivation was sufficient to initiate this cascade of events.

Methods

We examine

SUBMITTER: Yun H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8819360 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature