A-Herpesviruses

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpesvirus, which causes an inapparent infection in immunocompetent persons. Worldwide, approximately 40% of people are infected with CMV. In immunocompromised patients, transplant recipients and neonates, CMV can cause serious and potentially lethal disease manifestations like pneumonia, retinitis and blindness, hepatitis, infections of the digestive tract, deafness or mental retardation. 

Replicative cycles of representative DNA and RNA viruses. A. Replicative cycle of a herpesvirus, an example of a DNA virus. 1. Attachment. 2. Membrane fusion. 3. Release of viral DNA through nuclear pores. 4. Transcription of viral mRNA. 5. Synthesis of viral proteins by host cell s ribosomes. 6. Replication of viral DNA by viral polymerases. 7. Assembly of virus particles. 

Herpes. Any inflammatory skin disease caused by a herpesvirus and characterized by the formation of clusters of small vesicles. When used alone, the term may refer to herpes simplex or Herpes zoster. 

Nomura, A.M. et al. 2006. One functional switch mediates reversible and irreversible inactivation of a herpesvirus protease. Biochemistry 45, 3572-3579. 

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus that is associated with the formation of lymphomas and nasopharyngeal carcinomas. It infects most humans but infections in childhood are generally asymptomatic. In young adults it can cause glandular fever, a chronic condition in which there is proliferation of white blood cells. After infection the virus becomes latent in B lymphocytes for the lifetime of the individual. In vitro the infection of B lymphocytes by EBV results in their transformation and proliferation. Normally in vivo, this EBV-induced proliferation of B cells is kept under control by the action of T-killer lymphocytes. In some African children infection with EBV induces Burkitt s lymphoma, a particularly malignant tumour of the jaw. The characteristic occurrence of this condition in hot humid regions of Africa where mosquitoes flourish has led to the hypothesis that infection with EBV has to be followed by malaria before the lymphomas will develop. Suppression of... 

Welch, A. R., Woods, A. S., McNally, L. M., Cotter, R. J., and Gibson, W. (1991) A Herpesvirus maturational protease, Assemblin identification of its gene, putative active site domain and cleavage site. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88,10,792-10,796. 

Elliott G, O Hare P (1997). Intercellular trafficking and protein delivery by a herpesvirus structural protein. Cell. 88 223-233. 

Parry CM, Simas JP, Smith VP et al. A Broad Spectrum Secreted Chemokine Binding Protein Encoded by a Herpesvirus. J Exp Med 2000 191 573-578. 

Alexander JM. Structural basis of chemokine sequestration by a herpesvirus decoy receptor. Cell... 

Although lipid barriers are common outside the capsids of viruses (and inside as well for poxviruses), no lipids are associated with adenoviruses or reoviruses. Enzymes are frequently present. Neuraminidase, in myxoviruses, releases sialic acid 5.15) from a glycopeptide widely present in mucus. Vaccinia virus (a poxvirus) contains the enzyme RNA polymerase which enters the host cell at the time of infection. A herpesvirus has adenosine triphosphatase. Lysozyme is common in phages. Carbohydrates, other than the pentose that forms part of the nucleic acids, have often been found. Analysis of purified herpes simplex virus showed proteins (70%), phospholipids (22%), DNA (6%), and carbohydrates (1.6%). 

Messerle M, Crnkovic I, Hammerschmidt W, Ziegler H, Koszinowski UH (1997) Cloning and mutagenesis of a herpesvirus genome as an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94 14759 -14763... 

Everett RD, Meredith M, Orr A, Cross A, Kathoria M, Parkinson J (1997) A novel ubiquitin-specific protease is dynamically associated with the PML nuclear domain and binds to a herpesvirus regulatory protein [corrected and republished article originally printed in EMBO J 1997 Feb 3 16(3) 566-577]. EMBO J 16 1519-1530... 

Mittnacht S, Straub P, Kirchner H, Jacobsen H (1988) Interferon treatment inhibits onset of herpes simplex virus immediate- early transcription. Virology 164 201-210 Mohr I, Gluzman Y (1996) A herpesvirus genetic element which affects translation in the absence of the viral GADD34 function. Embo J 15 4759-4766... 

Mulvey M, Poppers J, Ladd A, Mohr I (1999) A herpesvirus ribosome-associated, RNA-binding protein confers a growth advantage upon mutants deficient in a GADD34-related function. J Virol 73 ... 

Dang LH, Michalek MT, Takei F, Benaceraff B, Rock KL (1990) Role of ICAM-1 in antigen presentation demonstrated by ICAM-1 defective mutants. J Immunol 144 4082 091 Desrosiers RC, Sasseville VG, Czajak SC, Zhang X, Mansfield KG, Kaur A, Johnson RP, Lackner AA, Jung JU (1997) A herpesvirus of rhesus monkeys related to the human Kaposi s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. J Virol 71 9764-9769... 

Any disease that is passed (tom one individual to another during sexual intercourse or other types of sexual activity. These diseases have b n traditionally referred to as venereal diseases. They include gonorrhoea, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonor-rhoeae, syphilis, due to infection by the bacterium Treponema pallidum genital herpes, which Is caused by a herpesvirus and AIDS, resulting from infection with HIV, a retrovirus. The transmission of sexually transmitted diseases can be reduced by limiting the number of sexual partners and by the use of condoms (see birth control), which reduces the risk of contact with body fluids that harbour the microorganisms that cause these diseases. 

Parry, C.M., Simas, J.P., Smith, V.P., Stewart, C.A., Minson, A.C., Efstathiou, S., and Alcami, A. (2000) Abroad spectrum secreted chemokine binding protein encoded by a herpesvirus. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 191, 573-578. 

Variceiia-Zoster virus A herpesvirus that causes both chickenpox and shingles. 

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