Addisyn G. Smith, Queen's University

Addisyn G. Smith and Bruce W. Banfield (Queen's University - Kingston, Ontario)

Discovering & Evolving

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 is a highly prevalent human pathogen, that infects millions globally, causing lifelong infection and disease. Despite HSV's significant global health burden, there is no cure, and the functions of many key viral proteins remain poorly understood. Nanobodies (Nbs) have emerged as a valuable tool in virology due to their ability to inhibit the replication of numerous viruses. Derived from camelid species, Nbs are small single-domain proteins with antigen binding capacity that can be stably expressed inside cells. This novel application may be a valuable tool for investigating intracellular viral protein function. Recent advancements have led to the development of synthetic Nbs, eliminating the need for camelid immunization. Using a synthetic yeast Nb expression library, Nbs against HSV-2 tegument proteins, pUL21 and pUL11 involved in secondary envelopment of cytoplasmic nucleocapsids will be isolated, purified, and expressed within infected cells. These methods will provide new tools to study the functions of viral proteins and evaluate whether Nb expression inside animal cells during HSV-2 infection interferes with virus maturation based on our current understanding of pUL21 and pUL11 involvement in secondary envelopment.