Human skin models reveal how herpes spreads unevenly among neighboring cells
Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have traced how herpes simplex virus 1 infection progresses among neighboring skin cells in skin organoids. The work is published in Science Advances.
Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have discovered how the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) spreads unevenly among neighboring cells in human skin. The study, published in Science Advances, sheds light on the virus's ability to infect certain cell types more than others, potentially informing treatment strategies for HSV-1 and its possible role in conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
Using human skin organoids, the team observed that dermal fibroblasts in the skin's support layer quickly accumulate the virus, while basal keratinocytes in the outermost cell layer carry the least amount. Sensory nerve cells were infected later, suggesting they may possess some resistance to the virus. The researchers combined imaging with spatial transcriptomics to identify active genes at the infection front, uncovering cell-type-specific antiviral responses and coordinated activation of TNF-family signaling molecules.
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