Tissue specific distribution of the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcripts on polyribosomes during latent infection.

Transcription of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) during latency produces two abundant latency-associated transcripts (LATs). We have recently shown, that during HSV-1 latency in mice trigeminal ganglia (TG) LATs are bound to polyribosomes (J Virol, 1997, 71, 2897-2904). In order to study the possible role of this binding in the latency process, we now extend the polyribosomal analysis to brainstem tissues of latently infected mice, that unlike TG do not support viral reactivation. We report here that the relative amounts of the LATs associated with polyribosomes in the brainstems of mice are significantly lower than those present in TG. We therefore show that binding of the 1.5 and 2.0 kilobases LATs to polyribosomes is tissue specific and hypothesize that this association may have a role in the reactivation function of HSV-1.