Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein B (gB) (gB)

Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein B (gB) is a highly conserved, essential component of the HSV-1 entry machinery, functioning as a class III viral fusion protein (UniProt P06437). It mediates the fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell plasma membrane or endosomal membrane, a process triggered by the interaction of other glycoproteins like gD and the gH/gL complex with host receptors (PubMed: 23133248). Beyond initial entry, gB is crucial for cell-to-cell spread of the virus, allowing it to bypass extracellular neutralizing antibodies (PubMed: 15596814). As the most conserved glycoprotein among herpesviruses, gB is a primary target for the development of prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies aimed at neutralizing viral infectivity (PubMed: 30108101). Current research focuses on identifying epitopes that elicit potent neutralizing responses to prevent both primary infection and reactivation from latency (PubMed: 28424243).

Other names

Envelope glycoprotein BUL27gB-1Major envelope glycoprotein

Neutralization of viral entry by blocking membrane fusion and preventing the interaction between the viral envelope and host cell membrane (PubMed: 30108101).