Protection by herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D against Fas-mediated apoptosis: Role of nuclear factor κB

Signals involved in protection against apoptosis by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) were investigated. Using U937 monocytoid cells as an experimental model, we have demonstrated that HSV-1 rendered these cells resistant to Fas-induced apoptosis promptly after infection. UV-inactivated virus as well as the envelope glycoprotein D (gD) of HSV-1, by itself, exerted a protective effect on Fas-induced apoptosis. NF-κB was activated by gD, and protection against Fas-mediated apoptosis by gD was abolished in cells stably transfected with a dominant negative mutant I-κBα, indicating that NF-κB activation plays a role in the antiapoptotic activity of gD in our experimental model. Moreover, NF-κB-dependent protection against Fas-mediated apoptosis was associated with decreased levels of caspase-8 activity and with the up-regulation of intracellular antiapoptotic proteins.