The Herpes Simplex Virus 1 IgG Fc Receptor Blocks Antibody-Mediated Complement Activation and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity In Vivo

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein E (gE) mediates cell-to-cell spread and functions as an IgG Fc receptor (Fc gamma R) that blocks the Fc domain of antibody targeting the virus or infected cell. Efforts to assess the functions of the HSV-1 Fc gamma R in vivo have been hampered by difficulties in preparing an Fc gamma R-negative strain that is relatively intact for spread. Here we report the Fc gamma R and spread phenotypes of NS-gE264, which is a mutant strain that has four amino acids inserted after gE residue 264. The virus is defective in IgG Fc binding yet causes zosteriform disease in the mouse flank model that is only minimally reduced compared with wild-type and the rescue strains. The presence of zosteriform disease suggests that NS-gE264 spread functions are well maintained. The HSV-1 Fc gamma R binds the Fc domain of human, but not murine IgG; therefore, to assess Fc gamma R functions in vivo, mice were passively immunized with human IgG antibody to HSV. When antibody was inoculated intraperitoneally 20 h prior to infection or shortly after virus reached the dorsal root ganglia, disease severity was significantly reduced in mice infected with NS-gE264, but not in mice infected with wild-type or rescue virus. Studies of C3 knockout mice and natural killer cell-depleted mice demonstrated that the HSV-1 Fc gamma R blocked both IgG Fc-mediated complement activation and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Therefore, the HSV-1 Fc gamma R promotes immune evasion from IgG Fc-mediated activities and likely contributes to virulence at times when antibody is present, such as during recurrent infections.