Role And Mechanism Of Host Transcription Factor Foxc1 In Regulating HSV-1 Infection

Herpes simplex virus 1(HSV-1)is a common DNA virus that usually causes herpes labialis and keratitis.HSV-1 can establish latent infection in neurons after lytic infection of epithelial cells in peripheral tissues.When the body's immunity is weak,the latent virus can replicate again(a process called reactivation),causing recurrent infection.Our previous results indicated that Foxc1,a host transcription factor,significantly promotes HSV-1 replication in neuronal cells.Based on this,we firstly confirmed that Foxc1 enhanced HSV-1 replication,viral transcript expression,and viral protein expression through transfection-infection experiments.Secondly,we constructed a recombinant virus expressing Foxc1 and infected mice.We found that during acute infection,the recombinant virus significantly elevated the level of viral transcripts in the trigeminal ganglia.Thirdly,we constructed mutant plasmids with different Foxc1 domains deleted and found that Foxc1 is dependent on its DNA binding domain and activating domain to promote virus replication,indicating that Foxc1 affects viral replication by binding to DNA.Finally,through virus attachment-entry and gene transcription experiments,we found that Foxc1 promotes viral transcription without affecting upstream processes.These results indicate that Foxc1 promotes HSV-1 transcription in neuronal cells and may affect the latency/reactivation balance of the virus.