A Replication Competent HSV-1(McKrae) with a Mutation in the Amino-terminus of Glycoprotein K (gK) is Unable to Infect Mouse Trigeminal Ganglia after Cornea Infection

The results show that the amino terminus of gK is essential for neuroinvasiveness and acute herpes keratitis in the mouse eye model. It is likely that gK is involved in efficient infection of axonal termini, since mouse eye scarification provided a direct access to the high density of neuronal axons innervating mouse corneas.