A Systematic Analysis of Host Factors Reveals a Med23-Interferon-? Regulatory Axis against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Replication

Griffiths, Samantha J.; Koegl, Manfred; Boutell, Chris; Zenner, Helen L.; Crump, Colin M.; Pica, Francesca; Gonzalez, Orland; Friedel, Caroline C.; Barry, Gerald; Martin, Kim; Craigon, Marie H.; Chen, Rui; Kaza, Lakshmi N.; Fossum, Even; Fazakerley, John K.; Efstathiou, Stacey; Volpi, Antonio; Zimmer, Ralf; Ghazal, Peter; Haas, Jürgen

Up to 90% of the global population is infected with the aherpesvirus Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1). Whilst HSV-1 is largely responsible for outbreaks of vesicular oral skin lesions (fever blisters, or cold sores), it can also cause a variety of more severe diseases including encephalitis, meningitis and keratitis [1, 2] . Furthermore, the frequency of association with genital lesions (previously associated mainly with HSV-2 infection) is increasing. As co-infection with HSV is a significant contributing factor to transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), our understanding of HSV disease, and herpesviruses in general, has wide implications for global healthcare.