Fig. 1

Absence of TM-LeD reduces mortality, tissue viral loads, and brain neuron apoptosis of HSV-1-infected mice. A The survival rates of infected WT mice (n = 14) and TM^LeD/LeD mice (n = 13) are shown. B Virus titers in the eyes, trigeminal ganglia, and brains of WT and TM^LeD/LeD mice on the indicated dpi are shown. The data represent means ± SEM (error bars) of 5–12 sample per data point. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01. C Sections of brains harvested from mock-infected or infected WT or TM^LeD/LeD mice at 5 dpi were subjected to immunofluorescence staining with antibodies against HSV-1 and mouse cleaved caspase 3 and NeuN. The temporal cortex region is shown. Scale bar, 50 μm. Data are representative of at least three samples per group from two independent experiments