# LATENCY AND TRANSFORMATION BY HERPESVIRUSES

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · 1987 · $162,821

## Abstract

The interaction of herpes simplex virus (HSV) with its human host may
result in infectious disease, virus persistence or latency, or possible
neoplasia.  The outcome of this host-pathogen interaction in humans or
experimental systems is determined, in part, by the nature of the host cell
types involved in conjunction with immunological, physiological, and other
modulating factors.  The understanding of these interrelated pathological
processes has been greatly facilitated by the complementary use of both in
vitro and in vivo models.  It has been generally acknowledged that during
HSV infection of humans and experimental animals virus latency is
established in the peripheral nervous system, with virus reactivation
resulting in virus shedding or recurrent disease that may be
life-threatening in the immunocompromised cancer patient and may be a
factor or cofactor in the causation of human neoplasia.

The central objective of the prosposed research is to exploit a series of
in vitro virus latency systems employing human sensory neurons and
fibroblasts as host cells to examine (i) the mechanisms of establishment
and maintenance of HSV latency; (ii) the state of the latent HSV genome;
(iii) the mechanism of virus reactivation; (iv) the effect of virus latency
on neuronal function; (v) the effect of a latent HSV genome on human cell
transformation; (vi) the effect of human cell transformation on
establishment and maintenance of virus latency, and (vii) the effect of
therapeutic agents on virus latency, reactivation, and cell
transformation.  Scientific disciplines involved will include oncology,
neurology, molecular biology, neurobiology, and genetics with the
experimental application of human nerve cell culture, DNA- and RNA-specific
dot, blot, and in situ hybridization procedures, protein analysis with
virus- and neuron-specific monoclonal antibody probes, hybridoma
technology, and fluorescence-activated flow cytometry.  These studies are
health-related because they deal with ubiquitous viruses [HSV and human
cytomegalovirus (HCMV)] that can cause latent and chronic infections and
overt life-threatening clinical disease in their human host.  Furthermore,
HSV and HCMV have been associated with human neoplasia; cervical carcinoma
and Kaposi sarcoma, respectively.  The project results should enable better
understanding of how herpesviruses cause latent and chronic infections and
cancer and may ultimately, provide means for early diagnosis, cure, or
prevention of the many diseases caused by these viruses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3172206
- **Project number:** 5R01CA034479-05
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR
- **SAM.gov UEI:** TNKGNDAWB445
- **Principal Investigator:** FRED RAPP
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $162,821
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1983-06-01 → 1991-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3172206

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3172206, LATENCY AND TRANSFORMATION BY HERPESVIRUSES (5R01CA034479-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3172206. Licensed CC0.

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