HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE 1 IMPAIRS DENDRITIC CELL FUNCTION BY REMODELLING NEUTRAL LIPID METABOLISM AND INDUCING LIPID DROPLET ACCUMULATION

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infects dendritic cells (DCs), professional antigen-presenting cells that initiate and regulate host antiviral responses. HSV-1 infects DCs limiting their maturation, migration to draining lymph nodes and T cell activation capacity, ultimately promotes their apoptosis. Here, we investigated the impact of HSV-1 infection over neutral lipid metabolism in DCs and their function. We found that HSV-1 significantly alters neutral lipid metabolism in infected DCs and promotes LD accumulation. Pharmacological inhibition of cholesterol ester synthesis, or fatty acid transporter proteins in infected DCs reduced LD accumulation and viral replication, enhanced DC viability and DC migration to draining lymph nodes and promoted DC priming of virus-specific CD8+ T cells. These findings highlight the role of neutral lipid metabolism in HSV-1-infected DCs and its impact over host immunity against this virus, underscoring lipid metabolism in DCs as a potential therapeutical target for triggering antiviral immunity against HSV-1. Overall design: To investigated the impact of HSV-1 infection over neutral lipid metabolism in DCs and their function. We have 2 experimental groups, which were treated with MOCK or infected with HSV-1 (F) at MOI: 3 and at a time of 12 hours post-infection. n=4 We then performed gene expression analysis of MOCK treated and HSV-1 (F) infected bone marrow dendritic cells using data from RNA-seq