Description
Reactivation of latent HCMV is a significant infectious complication of organ transplantation, and current therapies target viral replication once reactivation of transcriptionally silent, latent virus has already occurred. The specific molecular pathways that activate viral gene expression are not well understood. Our studies aim to identify these factors, with the goal of developing novel therapies that prevent transcriptional reactivation in transplant recipients. MCMV is a valuable model for studying latency and reactivation of CMV induced by organ transplantation. We previously demonstrated that transplantation of MCMV-latently infected kidneys into allogeneic recipients induces transcriptional reactivation of immediate early (IE) gene expression within 48 hr.