BACKGROUND Herpesviridae encode a family of protein homologues that function as the 'port of entry' for insertion of the viral DNA into preformed capsids during encapsidation. METHODS Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of recombinant varicella-zoster virus pORF54 was performed. RESULTS Results suggest that pORF54 forms higher-order structures with itself. Enriched fractions analyzed by ...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member of the β -herpesvirus subfamily within Herpesviridae that is nearly ubiquitous in human populations, and infection generally results only in mild symptoms. However, symptoms can be severe in immunonaive individuals, and transplacental congenital infection of HCMV can result in serious neurological sequelae. Recent work has revealed much about the demogra...

The impact of cytomegalovirus, a member of the beta-herpesvirus subgroup of the Herpesviridae, on patients who have undergone transplantation cannot be overstated. However, in the last 15 years, 2 additional members of the human beta-herpesvirus family have been discovered: human herpesviruses 6 and 7 (HHV-6 and HHV-7). The impact of HHV-6 and HHV-7 is assessed, as is the well-being of transpla...

Liver failure may occur due to extensive liver damage. Several etiologies may be associated to liver failure, in most cases, inducing strong or persistent inflammatory response, whose outcome is the extensive parenchymal loss. Some hepatotropic or nonhepatotropic viruses may induce severe liver damage, between them hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis E (HEV) and members ...

The largest tegument protein of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), UL36, contains a novel deubiquitinating activity embedded in it. All members of the Herpesviridae contain a homologue of HSV-1 UL36, the N-terminal segments of which show perfect conservation of those residues implicated in catalysis. For murine cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, chosen as representatives of the beta- and gamm...

Viruses are dependent upon the host cell protein synthesis machinery, thus they have developed a range of strategies to manipulate host translation to favour viral protein synthesis. Consequently, the study of viral translation has been a powerful tool for illuminating many aspects of cellular translational control. Although much work to date has focused on translational regulation by RNA virus...

Cholesteryl 3",4"-dimethoxycinnamate (7) and a new synthesized o-coumaroyl ester of 3 beta-(2'-hydroxyethoxy)-cholest-5-en (13) exhibited a marked activity against poliovirus type 1 (Mahoney). Compound 7 showed an approximately 20-fold greater selectivity in its antiviral activity than compound 13. These compounds were selected from thirteen steryl esters of cinnamic acid derivatives through an...

Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an autoimmune disease characterized by blistering of the skin. Infections caused by members of the herpesviridae family have been suggested as a possible triggering factor for pemphigus vulgaris (PV), but not for PF. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of Human herpesvirus (types 1, 2, 3) in corticosteroid refractory skin lesions from a patient with P...

Comparative analysis of capsid protein structures in the eukaryote-infecting herpesviruses (Herpesviridae) and the prokaryote-infecting tailed DNA bacteriophages (Caudovirales) revealed a characteristic fold that is restricted to these two virus lineages and is indicative of common ancestry. This fold not only serves as a major architectural element in capsid stability but also enables the conf...