The replication and transcription activator protein, Rta, is encoded by Orf50 in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and other known gammaherpesviruses including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV), herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), and murine herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68). Each Rta/Orf50 homologue of each gammaherpesvirus plays a pivotal role in the initiation of viral lytic gene...

The Herpesviridae are a large group of well-characterized double-stranded DNA viruses for which many complete genome sequences have been determined. We have extracted protein sequences from all predicted open reading frames of 19 herpesvirus genomes. Sequence comparison and protein sequence clustering methods have been used to construct herpesvirus protein homologous families. This resulted in ...

Human herpesviruses cause diseases of considerable morbidity and mortality, ranging from encephalitis to hematologic malignancies. As evidence emerges about the role of innate immunity and natural killer (NK) cells in the control of herpesvirus infection, evidence of viral methods of innate immune evasion grows as well. These methods include interference with the ligands on infected cell surfac...

Members of the Herpesviridae family have been implicated in a number of tumours in humans. At least 75% of the human population has had contact with cytomegalovirus (HCMV). In this work, we screened 75 Brazilian glioma biopsies for the presence of HCMV DNA sequences. HCMV DNA was detected in 36% (27/75) of the biopsies. It is possible that HCMV could be a co-factor in the evolution of brain tum...

The aetiological agent is koi herpesvirus (KHV) in the family Herpesviridae (18, 45) although it has also been given the name carp interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis virus (CNGV) (20, 30). Waltzek et al. (42) provided evidence to support the classification of the virus as a herpesvirus, and named it cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), following the nomenclature of other cyprinid herpesviruse...

AIMS To study the cutaneous and visceral distribution of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) in fatal infections. METHODS Standard histology, immunohistochemistry (monoclonal antibodies VL8 and VL2 and polyclonal antibody IE63 directed against VZV; monoclonal antibodies IBD4 and HH2 and polyclonal antibodies directed against HSVI and HSVII) and in situ hybridisation (a...

CD4+ T cells support host defence against herpesviruses and other viral pathogens. We identified that CD4+ T cells from systemic and mucosal tissues of hosts infected with the β-herpesviridae human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) or murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) express the regulatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10. IL-10+CD4+ T cells co-expressed TH1-associated transcription factors and chemokine recepto...

Glycoprotein gB is the most highly conserved glycoprotein in the herpesvirus family and plays a critical role in virus entry and fusion. Glycoprotein gB of herpes simplex virus type 1 contains a hydrophobic stretch of 69 aa near the carboxy terminus that is essential for its biological activity. To determine the role(s) of specific amino acids in the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region, a numbe...

Encephalitides, an acute infection of the brain parenchyma, are characterized by fever, headache and altered consciousness. Neurological deficits and focal or generalized epileptic seizures may also be seen. There are important differences in clinical presentations between encephalitides caused by viruses. While some viral encephalitides, such as Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV type-1) encepha...