Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 infect the mouse pituitary gland and induce apoptotic cell death

Archives of Virology
K Aita, J Shiga

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infected the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland resulting in cytopathic changes following intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of male mice. Both HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) were isolated from pituitary gland following i.v. infection, but not after intraperitoneal inoculation. HSV-infected pituitary cells were microscopically visible beginning at 24 h or 48 h following i.v. inoculation and were localized in the anterior pituitary. In both HSV-1 and -2 infections the pituitary lesions were apoptotic, as determined by light and electron microscopy, TUNEL, and DNA gel electrophoresis. However, the pituitary infection does not appear to be life-threatening since pituitary lesions were also observed following i.v. infection with HSV-1 strain -GC which possesses low virulence. These results suggest that the pituitary gland is one of the target organs of HSV infection.

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Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis