Author(s)

Ying Zhang^1,2*, Yingying Wang^1,2*, Junting Cheng^1,2, Wenqi Cai^1,2, Ziwen Han^1,2, Yang Zhou^1,2, Qi Huang^1,2, Moyu Wang^1,2, Xiaochun Peng³, Xianwang Wang⁴, Zhaowu Ma^1,2, Ying Xiang^1,2, Hongwu Xin^1,2

¹Laboratory of Oncology, Center for Molecular Medicine, School of Basic Medicine, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
²Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
³Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
⁴Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Basic Medicine, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in the human body can be latent in neurons for long time and be reactivated leading to recurrence at high rate. Currently there is no effective clinical strategy for the prevention and treatment of the disease relapse. HSV LAT gene is expressed in large quantities and lytic genes are turned off leading to HSV latency. Disruption of the gene expression is thought to cause HSV reactivation and disease relapse. To reveal the essence of HSV latency and reactivation, we summarized and innovatively classified the role, mechanism and transcriptional regulation of LAT in HSV latency and reactivation. This review may have important implications for future studies on HSV latency and reactivation, HSV disease prevention and treatment, and safer and more effective oncolytic HSVs (oHSVs).

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus (oHSV), Latency-Associated Transcript (LAT), Reactivation, Immediate-Early Gene (IE Gene)

Zhang, Y. , Wang, Y. , Cheng, J. , Cai, W. , Han, Z. , Zhou, Y. , Huang, Q. , Wang, M. , Peng, X. , Wang, X. , Ma, Z. , Xiang, Y. and Xin, H. (2020) The Role, Mechanism and Transcriptional Regulation of LAT in Herpes Simplex Virus Latency and Reactivation. Yangtze Medicine, 4, 39-53. doi: 10.4236/ym.2020.41004.