Comparative Transcriptomics Analyses Identify DDX43 as a Cellular Regulator Involved in Suppressing HSV-2 Replication

HSV-2 is the main pathogen causing genital herpes, and its infection increases the infection and transmission of HIV-1. Currently, there are no vaccines to prevent HSV-2 infection or treatment that can fully cure it. Mining key host factors that regulate HSV-2 replication and elucidating their specific regulatory mechanisms are crucial for understanding virus-host interactions and discovering new antiviral targets. In the current study, we identified DDX43 as a cellular factor involved in the suppression of HSV-2 replication through comparative transcriptomic analyses of HSV-2-infected epithelial cells, followed by experimental validation. Comprehensive transcriptomic profiling revealed distinct host cellular gene expression patterns in HeLa and ARPE-19 cell lines post HSV-2 infection. Subsequent orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) pinpointed DDX43 as one of the principal mediators distinguishing the host response between HSV-2-infected HeLa and ARPE-19 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of DDX43 inhibited HSV-2 replication, whereas knockdown of endogenous DDX43 enhanced HSV-2 replication. Additional experiments revealed that human DDX43 inhibits HSV-2 replication in an interferon-independent manner. This study demonstrates that DDX43 serves as a host regulator against HSV-2 infection, underscoring the power of comparative transcriptomics in identifying novel host proteins that modulate viral replications.