Abstract
The multiple sclerosis–associated retrovirus (MSRV), originally identified in cell cultures from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), is closely related to the human endogenous retrovirus family W (HERV-W). Recently, HERV-W gag and env protein expression was demonstrated in MS lesions in situ. Here, the authors show that HERV-W gag and env proteins are induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in neuronal and brain endothelial cells in vitro. The transactivation of HERV-W proteins by HSV-1 could enhance their potential oligodendrotoxic and immunopathogenic effects, representing a mechanism by which HSV-1, and possibly also other herpesviruses associated with MS, may be linked to the pathogenesis of this disease.
The authors would like to thank Monique Lafon, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, for helpful advise during the early phase of this study. This work was supported by a grant (1.319.110/03/01) from the Gemeinnuetzige Hertie-Stiftung (KR and PR)