Description:

Seminar Title: Pathogenic Role of HVEM Ligands in Ocular HSV-1 Infection

Speaker: Susan Park, Graduate Student, Lab of Richard Longnecker, PhD

Topic:

Ocular herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection is a major cause of infectious blindness in the developed world. Infiltrating immune cell populations and production of cytokines and chemokines in the cornea following clearance of the virus are the main contributors of ocular damage. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in corneal inflammation following infection remain obscure. Our work explores the role of Herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM), a TNFR superfamily member, and its functional ligands LIGHT, BTLA, and CD160 in stimulating the host immune response during ocular HSV-1 pathogenesis. This study highlights previously unknown contribution of HVEM and its ligands in corneal inflammation.