title: Cytomegalovirus UL103 controls virion and dense body egress.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus UL103 encodes a tegument protein that is conserved across herpesvirus subgroups. Mutant viruses lacking this gene product exhibit dramatically reduced accumulation of cell-free virus progeny and poor cell-to-cell spread. Given that viral proteins and viral DNA accumulate with normal kinetics in cells infected with mutant virus, UL103 appears to function during the late phase of replication, playing a critical role in egress of capsidless dense bodies and virions. Few dense bodies were observed in the extracellular space in mutant virus-infected cells in the presence or absence of the DNA encapsidation inhibitor 2-bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)benzimidazole. Upon reversal of encapsidation inhibition, UL103 had a striking impact on accumulation of cell-free virus, but not on accumulation of cell-associated virus. Thus, UL103 plays a novel and important role during maturation, regulating virus particle and dense body egress from infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Emory Vaccine Center, 1462 Clifton Road, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahlqvist
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mocarski
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000502:physiology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000821:virology; D006564:Herpesviridae; D018594:Human Body; D006801:Humans; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014771:Virion; D057074:Virus Release
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins