International Biomed-X Research Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Center for Oncology Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, 322000, China.
Mol Biomed. 2024 Aug 29;5(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s43556-024-00199-7.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV), an epidemic human pathogen threatening global public health, gains notoriety for its complex pathogenesis that encompasses lytic infection of mucosal cells, latent infection within neurons, and periodic reactivation. This intricate interplay, coupled with HSV's sophisticated immune evasion strategies, gives rise to various diseases, including genital lesions, neonatal encephalitis, and cancer. Despite more than 70 years of relentless research, an effective preventive or therapeutic vaccine against HSV has yet to emerge, primarily due to the limited understanding of virus-host interactions, which in turn impedes the identification of effective vaccine targets. However, HSV's unique pathological features, including its substantial genetic load capacity, high replicability, transmissibility, and neurotropism, render it a promising candidate for various applications, spanning oncolytic virotherapy, gene and immune therapies, and even as an imaging tracer in neuroscience. In this review, we comprehensively update recent breakthroughs in HSV pathogenesis and immune evasion, critically summarize the progress made in vaccine candidate development, and discuss the multifaceted applications of HSV as a biological tool. Importantly, we highlight both success and challenges, emphasizing the critical need for intensified research into HSV, with the aim of providing deeper insights that can not only advance HSV treatment strategies but also broaden its application horizons.
单纯疱疹病毒（HSV）是一种威胁全球公共卫生的流行人类病原体，因其复杂的发病机制而声名狼藉，包括黏膜细胞的裂解感染、神经元内的潜伏感染和周期性再激活。这种复杂的相互作用，加上 HSV 复杂的免疫逃避策略，导致了各种疾病，包括生殖器病变、新生儿脑炎和癌症。尽管经过 70 多年的不懈研究，仍然没有出现针对 HSV 的有效预防或治疗性疫苗，主要是因为对病毒-宿主相互作用的理解有限，这反过来又阻碍了有效疫苗靶点的识别。然而，HSV 的独特病理特征，包括其大量的遗传负荷能力、高复制性、传染性和嗜神经性，使其成为各种应用的有前途的候选者，包括溶瘤病毒治疗、基因和免疫治疗，甚至在神经科学中作为成像示踪剂。在这篇综述中，我们全面更新了 HSV 发病机制和免疫逃避的最新突破，批判性地总结了疫苗候选物开发方面的进展，并讨论了 HSV 作为生物工具的多方面应用。重要的是，我们强调了成功和挑战，强调了加强对 HSV 研究的迫切需要，以期提供更深入的见解，不仅可以推进 HSV 治疗策略，还可以拓宽其应用领域。
