title: Genomic and functional characteristics of human cytomegalovirus revealed by next-generation sequencing.
abstract: The complete genome of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was elucidated almost 25 years ago using a traditional cloning and Sanger sequencing approach. Analysis of the genetic content of additional laboratory and clinical isolates has lead to a better, albeit still incomplete, definition of the coding potential and diversity of wild-type HCMV strains. The introduction of a new generation of massively parallel sequencing technologies, collectively called next-generation sequencing, has profoundly increased the throughput and resolution of the genomics field. These increased possibilities are already leading to a better understanding of the circulating diversity of HCMV clinical isolates. The higher resolution of next-generation sequencing provides new opportunities in the study of intrahost viral population structures. Furthermore, deep sequencing enables novel diagnostic applications for sensitive drug resistance mutation detection. RNA-seq applications have changed the picture of the HCMV transcriptome, which resulted in proof of a vast amount of splicing events and alternative transcripts. This review discusses the application of next-generation sequencing technologies, which has provided a clearer picture of the intricate nature of the HCMV genome. The continuing development and application of novel sequencing technologies will further augment our understanding of this ubiquitous, but elusive, herpesvirus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, K.U.Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, Leuven BE-3000, Belgium. steven.sijmons@uzleuven.be.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sijmons
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, K.U.Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, Leuven BE-3000, Belgium. marc.vanranst@uzleuven.be.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Ranst
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, K.U.Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, Leuven BE-3000, Belgium. piet.maes@rega.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maes
mesh_terms: D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans