In vivo competence of murine cytomegalovirus under the control of the human cytomegalovirus major immediate-early enhancer in the establishment of latency and reactivation.
The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) major immediate-early enhancer has been postulated to play a pivotal role in the control of latency and reactivation. However, the absence of an animal model has obstructed a direct test of this hypothesis. Here we report on the establishment of an in vivo, experimentally tractable system for quantitatively investigating physiological functions of the HCMV enhancer. Using a neonate BALB/c mouse model, we show that a chimeric murine CMV under the control of the HCMV enhancer is competent in vivo, replicating in key organs of mice with acute CMV infection and exhibiting latency/reactivation features comparable for the most part to those of the parental and revertant viruses.
Gustems
Montse
M
Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, C/Villarroel 170, Barcelona 08036, Spain. aangulo@ub.edu.
Busche
Andreas
A
Messerle
Martin
M
Ghazal
Peter
P
Angulo
Ana
A
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002460:Cell Line; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014775:Virus Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D017735:Virus Latency / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins