Article
Microbiology
Johannes Schweininger, Myriam Scherer, Franziska Rothemund, Eva-Maria Schilling, Sonja Worz, Thomas Stamminger, Yves A. Muller
Summary: Cytomegaloviruses have evolved a species-specific IE1 protein tertiary structure to effectively bind and inactivate the important cellular restriction factor PML, forming a barrier to cross-species transmission. The highly conserved fold of IE1 maximizes the efficacy of PML targeting in a species-specific manner, illustrating the co-evolution of viruses and their hosts.
Article
Microbiology
Tejaswini S. Reddi, Philipp E. Merkl, So-Yon Lim, Norman L. Letvin, David M. Knipe
Summary: TRIM22 is a novel restriction factor that can combat DNA viruses, particularly HSV-1, and is not degraded by viral ICP0 protein. It also inhibits other types of herpesviruses and different genetic variants of TRIM22 show varying levels of effectiveness against HSV-1.
Article
Virology
Benjamin A. Krishna, Amanda B. Wass, Eain A. Murphy, Christine M. O'Connor
Summary: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common pathogen that can cause devastating disease and mortality. Researchers have generated a new mutant virus to study latent infection of CMV in hematopoietic cells.
Article
Virology
Anusha Kalavacharla, Chloe R. Koon, MacKenzie R. Freeman, William E. Miller
Summary: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is commonly found in the human population, infecting over 70% of people during their lifetime. It is uncertain whether HCMV plays a role in driving the development of glioblastoma (GBM) tumors or if it is simply present as a coincidence. Our study focused on understanding HCMV infection and spread within GBM cells using an in vitro model.
Article
Cell Biology
Batsheva Rozman, Aharon Nachshon, Roi Levi Samia, Michael Lavi, Michal Schwartz, Noam Stern-Ginossar
Summary: This study recharacterizes the kinetics of HCMV gene expression, revealing the non-linear regulation of viral genes and identifying the repression of immediate-early genes as a defining feature of latency.
Article
Microbiology
Emily R. Albright, Clayton K. Mickelson, Robert F. Kalejta
Summary: This study identified that the HCMV latency protein UL138 inhibits the cGAS/STING/TBK1 innate immunity pathway, not only during infection but also during viral latency. This finding helps to understand how innate immunity or its neutralization impacts long-term persistence by HCMV and other latent viruses.
Article
Microbiology
Jungang Lan, Yeqing Wang, Shusheng Yue, Duo Xu, Yinan Li, Xiangyu Peng, Jiao Hu, Enguo Ju, Shanping He, Tingting Li
Summary: KSHV causes both latent and lytic infections, and PEL is a B-cell lymphoma that is predominantly latently infected by KSHV. Inhibiting FoxO proteins can induce KSHV lytic replication and result in massive cell death in PEL.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryu Uotani, Dai Miyazaki, Yumiko Shimizu, Fumie Ohtani, Tomoko Haruki, Shin-Ichi Sasaki, Ayumi Koyama, Yoshitsugu Inoue, Tatsuo Suzutani
Summary: Ocular CMV infection can cause chronic inflammation and damage to corneal endothelial cells. Induction of specific CTL responses can improve visual prognosis, but improper induction of CTL responses can lead to pathological damage and surgical interventions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Virology
Arundhati Gupta, Shana M. Owens, Darby G. Oldenburg, Douglas W. White, J. Craig Forrest
Summary: Gammaherpesviruses can establish chronic infection in B cells without productive viral replication, suggesting that viral replication is not required for initiation or maintenance of infection in these cells.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Carlos F. de la Cruz-herrera, Michael H. Tatham, Umama Z. Siddiqi, Kathy Shire, Edyta Marcon, Jack F. Greenblatt, Ronald T. Hay, Lori Frappier
Summary: By analyzing SUMO-modified proteins in response to EBV reactivation, we discovered that TRIM24 and TRIM33 are cellular defense factors against EBV lytic infection. However, the viral protein BZLF1 disrupts the antiviral function of TRIM24 and TRIM33 by interacting with and destabilizing them. This study provides insights into the cellular defense mechanisms against EBV and the viral strategies to disable them.
Article
Virology
Tereza Vychodil, Darren J. Wight, Mariana Nascimento, Fabian Jolmes, Thomas Korte, Andreas Herrmann, Benedikt B. Kaufer
Summary: By utilizing the tet operon system, researchers have developed a method to visualize the Marek's disease virus (MDV) genome throughout its lifecycle, allowing for observation at different stages.
Article
Immunology
Stephen J. Dollery, Tania D. Maldonado, Eric A. Brenner, Edward A. Berger
Summary: Researchers have successfully developed a novel endothelial cell line, iTIME.219, which can be activated to enter lytic replication and release large quantities of infectious virus. These cells exhibit strong stability and hold promise for future studies on KSHV replication in endothelial cells and mechanisms of pathogenesis.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Eva-Maria Schilling, Myriam Scherer, Franziska Rothemund, Thomas Stamminger
Summary: FEN1 plays a critical role in viral infections, especially in HCMV infection where IE1 can manipulate FEN1 to facilitate viral DNA replication. This discovery may lead to new antiviral therapeutic options to combat HCMV infections.
Article
Virology
Matthew J. Beucler, William E. Miller
Summary: Human cytomegalovirus, driven by the pentamer glycoprotein complex, can infect epithelial cells, but pentamer-null strains lose the ability to efficiently initiate lytic replication in these cells. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors can rescue infection of epithelial cells by pentamer-null strains, while also increasing immediate early (IE) gene expression. The pentamer-null viruses can infect epithelial cells and traffic to the nucleus, but fail to initiate lytic gene expression, revealing a novel postentry function of the pentamer.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Patrick Koenig, Adriana Svrlanska, Clarissa Read, Sabine Feichtinger, Thomas Stamminger
Summary: Autophagy, a catabolic process, plays a significant role in HCMV replication by controlling the release of viral particles. In particular, the autophagy-initiating protein kinase ULK1 and other constituents of the ULK1 complex are upregulated during HCMV infection. Disruption of ULK1 kinase activity impairs viral particle release, suggesting ULK1 as a potential target for antiviral drug development.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Sigrun Haege, Eric Sonntag, Adriana Svrlanska, Eva Maria Borst, Anne-Charlotte Stilp, Deborah Horsch, Regina Mueller, Barbara Kropff, Jens Milbradt, Thomas Stamminger, Ursula Schloetzer-Schrehardt, Manfred Marschall
Summary: Research has shown that pUL50 plays a crucial role in nuclear egress of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), but mutations in phosphorylation sites of pUL50 have minimal impact on the virus's replication capabilities.
Article
Biology
Myriam Scherer, Clarissa Read, Gregor Neusser, Christine Kranz, Anna K. Kuderna, Regina Mueller, Florian Full, Sonja Woerz, Anna Reichel, Eva-Maria Schilling, Paul Walther, Thomas Stamminger
Summary: PML nuclear bodies undergo rearrangement to form giant cages upon viral infection, trapping viral genomes and capsids, and providing a multilayered defense strategy against viral infections.
Article
Virology
Franziska Rothemund, Myriam Scherer, Eva-Maria Schilling, Johannes Schweininger, Yves A. Muller, Thomas Stamminger
Summary: The study analyzed the functions of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early 1 (IE1) protein and rat CMV IE1 (rIE1) protein, and found that their interactions with cellular proteins PML and FEN1 were species-specific. It was also discovered that both IE1 proteins can antagonize human STAT2, but different regions of the viral proteins were involved in the interaction. Additionally, the study revealed that the binding of PML, FEN1, and STAT2 was conserved between primate and rodent proteins, but rIE1 lacked chromatin tethering function.
Article
Virology
Maja C. Mezger, Carina Conzelmann, Tatjana Weil, Pascal von Maltitz, Dan P. J. Albers, Jan Munch, Thomas Stamminger, Eva-Maria Schilling
Summary: Screening of a protein kinase inhibitor library identified SB431542 as a compound that interferes with SARS-CoV-2 replication by targeting activin receptor-like kinase 5 (ALK5). ALK5 inhibition downregulates furin expression induced by TGF-beta and reduces spike-mediated cell-cell fusion, thereby attenuating SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and cell-cell spread. This suggests that ALK5 inhibitors may be a potential therapy option for COVID-19, especially in cases with TGF-beta dominated cytokine storm.
Article
Microbiology
Anne-Charlotte Stilp, Myriam Scherer, Patrick Koenig, Axel Fuerstberger, Hans A. Kestler, Thomas Stamminger
Summary: In this study, it was discovered that the chromatin remodeling factor ATRX has a co-activating role in innate immunity, regulating chromatin accessibility and transcription of interferons and interferon-stimulated genes. It affects the antiviral immune response by decreasing transcription and secretion of type I interferons, leading to reduced expression of interferon-stimulated genes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana L. Tomas, Anna Reichel, Patricia M. Silva, Pedro G. Silva, Joao Pinto, Ines Calado, Joana Campos, Ilidio Silva, Vasco Machado, Roberto Laranjeira, Paulo Abreu, Paulo Mendes, Nabiha Ben Sedrine, Nuno C. Santos
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of effective cleaning and disinfection for reducing viral transmission. UV-C-based decontamination technologies have been found to effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on different types of surfaces. However, the effectiveness of UV-C treatment on porous surfaces varies depending on the material composition, suggesting the need for customizable protocols.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gil Correia, Luis Rodrigues, Mariana Afonso, Marta Mota, Joana Oliveira, Rui Soares, Ana Luisa Tomas, Anna Reichel, Patricia M. Silva, Jose J. Costa, Manuel Gameiro da Silva, Nuno C. Santos, Teresa Goncalves
Summary: This study investigated the contamination of indoor environments during the isolation of COVID-19 patients in individual houses and a nursing home. The results confirmed the presence of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the indoor compartments of mild symptomatic patients in the absence of aerosol-generating clinical procedures.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Una Ebong, Susanne Martina Buettner, Stefan A. Schmidt, Franziska Flack, Patrick Korf, Lynn Peters, Beate Gruener, Steffen Stenger, Thomas Stamminger, Hans Kestler, Meinrad Beer, Christopher Kloth
Summary: This study implemented an AI-based software prototype for the detection of COVID-19 pneumonia and differentiation between other types of pneumonia in lung CT datasets. The software achieved a sensitivity of 80.8% and a specificity of 50% for detecting COVID-19, but the human radiologist achieved a higher specificity of 97.2%.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Schuetz, Regina Mueller, Eileen Socher, Christina Wangen, Florian Full, Emanuel Wyler, Diana Wong, Myriam Scherer, Thomas Stamminger, Sunwen Chou, William D. Rawlinson, Stuart T. Hamilton, Heinrich Sticht, Manfred Marschall
Summary: The complex host interaction network of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) involves the regulatory protein kinase pUL97 and human cyclins. The study found that cyclin H is a crucial determinant of pUL97 kinase activity and viral replication efficiency.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sven Seitz, Anna Theresa Heusel, Thomas Stamminger, Myriam Scherer
Summary: PML nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) play a cell type-specific antiviral role against HCMV infection, with PML and Daxx having contrasting effects at different stages.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)