The herpes simplex virus 1 deamidase enhances propagation but is dispensable for retrograde axonal transport into the nervous system

Upon replication in mucosal epithelia and transmission to nerve endings, capsids of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) travel retrogradely within axons to peripheral ganglia, where life-long latent infections are established. A capsid-bound tegument protein, pUL37, is an essential effector of retrograde axonal transport and also houses a deamidase activity that antagonizes innate immune signaling. In this report, we examined whether the deamidase of HSV-1 pUL37 contributes to the neuroinvasive retrograde axonal transport mechanism. We conclude that neuroinvasion is enhanced by the deamidase, but the critical contribution of pUL37 to retrograde axonal transport functions independently of this activity. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 invades the nervous system by entering nerve endings and sustaining long-distance retrograde axonal transport to reach neuronal nuclei in ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. The incoming viral particle carries a deamidase activity on its surface that antagonizes antiviral responses. We examined the contribution of the deamidase to the hallmark neuroinvasive property of this virus.