Bovine naturally cytolytic cell activation against bovine herpes virus type 1-infected cells does not require late viral glycoproteins.

Freshly isolated or overnight cultured bovine peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells lysed bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1)-infected allogeneic and xenogeneic target cells but not non-infected target cells. To determine if late viral genes contribute to target cell lysis, phosphonoacetic acid (PAA), an inhibitor of DNA polymerase activity, was used to block DNA replication that is required for expression of late viral proteins. Both adherent and non-adherent (NA) cell populations mediated lysis against PAA-treated BHV-1-infected target cells in both 4- and 20-hr assays, indicating recognition and killing occurred in the absence of expression of late BHV-1 glycoproteins. Thus recognition of BHV-1 by bovine natural cytolytic effector cells does not require recognition of late BHV-1 glycoproteins for killing virally infected target cells.