Promyelocytic leukemia-nuclear body proteins: herpesvirus enemies, accomplices, or both?
The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein gathers other cellular proteins, such as Daxx and Sp100, to form subnuclear structures termed PML-nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) or ND10 domains. Many infecting viral genomes localize to PML-NBs, leading to speculation that these structures may represent the most efficient subnuclear location for viral replication. Conversely, many viral proteins modify or disrupt PML-NBs, suggesting that viral replication may be more efficient in the absence of these structures. Thus, a debate remains as to whether PML-NBs inhibit or enhance viral replication. Here we review and discuss recent data indicating that for herpesviruses, PML-NB proteins inhibit viral replication in cell types where productive, lytic replication occurs, while at the same time may enhance the establishment of lifelong latent infections in other cell types.
Saffert
Ryan T
RT
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Molecular Virology & McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Madison, WI, USA Tel.: +1 608 265 5546; ; rtsaffert@wisc.edu.
Kalejta
Robert F
RF