Deletion of the human cytomegalovirus US17 gene increases the ratio of genomes per infectious unit and alters regulation of immune and endoplasmic reticulum stress response genes at early and late times after infection.

ABSTRACT: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) employs numerous strategies to combat, subvert, or co-opt host immunity. One evolutionary strategy for this involves capture of a host gene and then its successive duplication and divergence, forming a family of genes, many of which have immunomodulatory activities. The HCMV US12 family consists of 10 tandemly arranged sequence-related genes in the unique short (US) region of the HCMV genome (US12 to US21). Each gene encodes a protein possessing seven predicted transmembrane domains, patches of sequence similarity with cellular G-protein-coupled receptors, and the Bax inhibitor 1 family of antiapoptotic proteins. We show that one member, US17, plays an important role during virion maturation. Microarray analysis of cells infected with a recombinant HCMV isolate

SUBMITTER: Gurczynski SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3911563 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature