Beta-herpesviruses

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus that has the distinguishing characteristic of all herpesviruses, the ability to persist in the host. Persistent CMV causes serious infections such as interstitial pneumonia, gastrointestinal mucosal ulceration, retinitis, and hepatitis in immunosuppressed patients. Elucidating mechanisms of CMV persistence is critical to a complete model of pathogenesis as CMV infection, morbidity, and mortality often are the result of dissemination of virus acquired before the onset of immunosuppression. 

Yu, X.M., Gelembiuk, G.W., Wang, C.Y., Ryu, W.S. and Mertz, J.E. (1991) Expression from herpesvirus promoters does not relieve the intron requirement for cytoplasmic accumulation of human beta-globin mRNA. Nucleic Acids... 

Isegawa, Y., Ping, Z., Nakano, K., Sugimoto, N., and Yamanishi, K. (1998). Human herpesvirus 6 open reading frame U12 encodes a functional beta-chemokine receptor. J. Virol. 72, 6104-6112. 

The alpha/beta/gamma herpesviruses originated from a common ancestor well over 400 mya (since ancestral herpesviruses exist in the amphioxus and mollusks). By now herpesviruses cover a wide range of particle sizes from 120 kbp (human... 

Table 9.1 Classification and diseases association of beta- and gamma-herpesviruses. 

Milne, R.S., Mattick, C., Nicholson, L., Devaraj, P., Alcami, A., and Gompels, U.A. (2000) RANTES binding and down-regulation by a novel human herpesvirus-6 beta chemokine receptor. Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md 1950), 164, 2396-2404. 

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