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Glycoengineered Keratinocyte Library Reveals Essential Functions of Specific Glycans for all Stages of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Infection

Author(s)

I. Bagdonaite, I.N. Marinova, A. M. Rudjord-Levann, E. M. H. Pallesen, S.L. King-Smith, R. Karlsson, T.B. Rømer, Y-H. Chen, R.L. Miller, S. Olofsson, R. Nordén , T. Bergström, S. Dabelsteen & H.H. Wandall

Sources

Nature Communications, 2023, 14 : 7000 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42669-6

Viral and host glycans represent an understudied aspect of host-pathogen interactions despite their potential implications for treating viral infections. This is due to the lack of readily available tools to analyse glycan function in a meaningful context. The authors generated a glycoengineered keratinocyte library of human glycosylation pathways to reveal the role of specific glycans at different stages of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection cycle. They demonstrate the importance of cellular glycosaminoglycans and glycosphingolipids for HSV-1 attachment for HSV-1 attachment, N-glycans for entry and spread, and O-glycans for replication.

While altered virion surface structures have minimal effects on the early interactions with wild-type cells, mutation of specific O-glycosylation sites affects glycoprotein surface expression and function. The data set demonstrates the importance of specific glycans in a clinically relevant human model of HSV-1 infection. It highlights the utility of genetic engineering to elucidate the roles of specific viral and cellular carbohydrate structures.

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