Grant: Operating Grant - Priority Announcement: Infection and Immunity (Bridge Funding)

One way that viruses cause disease symptoms is by directly damaging the cells that they infect. In most cases the means by which viruses damage cells remains unknown. We have discovered that herpes simplex virus, a common human pathogen, produces a protein called UL12.5 that destroys the DNA of mitochondria, the central powerhouses of our cells. We now propose to determine exactly how UL12.5 accomplishes this remarkable feat, and learn how this irreversible genetic change to the infected cell benefits the virus and damages the host. We will also determine which of the other 7 related human herpesviruses also inflict damage to mitochondrial DNA. This research may lead to new approaches to antiviral therapy.