EEF1D signaling contributes to Bovine alpha herpesvirus 1 productive infection, potentially through regulation of viral replication compartments

Bovine alpha herpesvirus 1 (BoAHV1) is one of the most significant viruses affecting cattle, causing substantial economic losses to the cattle industry worldwide. Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1δ (EEF1D), a component of the elongation factor 1 complex, plays a crucial role in the elongation phase of protein synthesis. However, the interplay between viral infection and EEF1D signaling remains poorly understood within the virus community. Here, we report that BoAHV1 productive infection leads to increased steady-state protein expression of EEF1D in cell cultures. Immunofluorescence assays demonstrated that productive viral infection in MDBK cells induces the enhanced translocation of EEF1D into the nucleus, where it forms specific puncta and co-localizes with the puncta of viral protein ICP8, a marker of the viral replication compartment. Additionally, viral infection in MDBK cells re-localizes a portion of EEF1D in the cytoplasm, where it co-localizes with the virion-associated proteins, such as viral protein gD. While, co-localization of EEF1D with virion-associated proteins is primarily observed in the nuclei of virus-infected Neuro-2A cells. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of EEF1D expression significantly decreases BoAHV1 productive infection in MDBK cells. Thus, the association of EEF1D with multiple viral proteins, particularly ICP8, a component of the viral replication compartment, may represent a potential mechanism by which EEF1D regulates viral replication.