Herpes simplex virus pUL56 abolishes neuronal activity by removing voltage-gated ion channels from the plasma membrane.

HSV-1 pUL56 protein removes voltage-gated ion channels from human neurons, abolishing electrical activity and calcium signaling during infection.

• Why it matters: Understanding how HSV-1 disrupts neuronal function is crucial for addressing virus-induced neurodegeneration and neurological complications.
• What they did: Researchers mapped transcriptomic, proteomic, and surface-proteome changes in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons infected with HSV-1, focusing on ion channel removal.
• The result: pUL56-dependent degradation of ion channels causes loss of neuronal excitability, and expression of pUL56 alone mimics this effect, highlighting its role as a viral suppressor of neuronal activity.