Therefore,

the recruitment of Rab27a is a complex process driven by elements such as the maturation stage and the cargo molecules in which protein markers follow a dynamic pattern of expression and reorganization see more depending on those factors. Once the study model was established, we investigated the relationship between Rab27a and HSV-1 infection. For this goal, HOG cells were infected with GHSV-UL46 and K26GFP. GHSV-UL46 is a tegument tagged HSV-1 [48], whereas K26GFP was obtained fusing GFP to a HSV-1 capsid protein [49]. After finding a high degree of OICR-9429 chemical structure colocalization between Rab27a and TGN, we proceeded to assess whether HSV-1 colocalized with Rab27a in that compartment. We found that Rab27a colocalized with tegument-tagged GHSV-UL46 in the TGN, whereas only a very low level of colocalization with capsid-tagged K26GFP was ascertained. This

fact might be explained by the fast transit of capsids through the TGN during its rapid selleck chemicals egress. HSV-1 acquires tegument and envelope through a process of secondary envelopment by budding into TGN-derived vesicles coated with viral glycoproteins and tegument proteins. Consequently, we investigated whether viral glycoproteins were associated with Rab27a, finding that this small GTPase colocalized with viral glycoproteins gH and gD, and with GHSV-UL46. On the other hand, viral titer of Rab27a-silenced infected cells showed a significant decrease compared with non-target control shRNA-expressing and non-transfected cells, supporting the idea of an involvement of

Rab27a in HSV-1 cycle. Finally, functional studies Fossariinae showed that Rab27a depletion produced a significant decrease on the infection rate. Analysis of the number of GFP-expressing cells 24 hours after infection with K26GFP virus, showed a significant decrease of these parameters in Rab27a-silenced cells compared to non-target control shRNA-expressing and non-transfected cells. Taken together, these results suggest a possible role for Rab27a in HSV-1 infection of oligodendrocytic cells. Also, the reduction of the size and number of viral plaques in silenced cells, points to an effect of Rab27a in the process of viral egress. Therefore, Rab27a might be involved in viral secretion. Since, colocalization between viral glycoproteins and Rab27a takes place in the TGN or in TGN-derived vesicles, and given that Rab27a depletion also induced a reduction in the viral production, we suggest that Rab27a might be required in both processes, viral morphogenesis and egress. Finally, our results show that Rab27a depletion reduced both the viral production and viral egress, effect that is not due to a differential entry capacity of virus. Therefore, the reduction in the cell-associated infectious viruses under Rab27a shRNA silencing, and the colocalization between viral glycoproteins and Rab27a in the TGN, suggest that Rab27a might be relevant for virus morphogenesis, maybe for secondary envelopment.