Enhancerless cytomegalovirus is capable of establishing a low-level maintenance infection in severely immunodeficient host tissues but fails in exponential growth.
Major immediate-early transcriptional enhancers are genetic control elements that act, through docking with host transcription factors, as a decisive regulatory unit for efficient initiation of the productive virus cycle. Animal models are required for studying the function of enhancers paradigmatically in host organs. Here, we have sought to quantitatively assess the establishment, maintenance, and level of in vivo growth of enhancerless mutants of murine cytomegalovirus in comparison with those of an enhancer-bearing counterpart in models of the immunocompromised or immunologically immature host. Evidence is presented showing that enhancerless viruses are capable of forming restricted foci of infection but fail to grow exponentially.
Podlech
Jürgen
J
Institute for Virology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
Pintea
Rares
R
Kropp
Kai A
KA
Fink
Annette
A
Lemmermann
Niels A W
NA
Erlach
Katja C
KC
Isern
Elena
E
Angulo
Ana
A
Ghazal
Peter
P
Reddehase
Matthias J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID