HORMONAL MODULATION OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS-REPLICATION IN A MOUSE NEUROBLASTOMA CELL-LINE

In this study, the effect of the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone dexa methasone (DXM) on HSV replication was studied in a DXM receptor-posit ive mouse neuroblastoma (NB) cell line. In cells treated with 10(-7)M DXM and then infected with HSV, there was a statistically significant 9-18-fold increase in the amount of virus produced in these cells comp ared to untreated controls. Adsorption kinetic studies with HSV were p erformed in DXM-treated NB cells and untreated controls. It was found that there was a significant increase in the adsorption rate of HSV in the DXM-treated cells as compared with the controls. During the cours e of these studies, a strain of NB cells was noted to have lost its ab ility to stimulate HSV replication following DXM treatment. Receptor b inding assays were performed on cytosols prepared from NB cells that r esponded with an increase in HSV titers to DXM treatment and the new s train of NB cells that was DXM refractile. These latter cells were fou nd to have lost their DXM receptors. These results indicate that the m odulation of HSV replication of DXM treated cells was regulated by the presence of DXM receptors in these cells. Once lost, the cells do not respond to DXM treatment with increased HSV replication. These observ ations may lead to a clinical assay to determine patients with high gl ucocorticoid levels who may be at risk of recurrent herpes infections. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.