Cytomegalovirus Infection

Dear Colleagues,

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the betaherpesvirus family, is the leading cause of congenital neurological complications in neonates as a result of maternal infection. Among immunocompromised patients—especially those with an organ transplant, chemotherapy, or AIDS—the reactivation of virus causes life-threatening diseases, such as gastroenteritis, encephalitis, pneumonitis, and graft rejection. In addition, HCMV infection is also implicated in widespread ocular damage and potential vision loss from retinitis, anterior uveitis, and corneal endotheliitis. Because HCMV targets various type of ocular cells, therefore understanding the dynamics of viral infection at the molecular level becomes relevant to advance the field of viral pathogenesis in general to develop novel strategies to prevent blindness.Although HCMV entry into host cells is poorly understood, it is clearly a multistep process that requires complex interactions between viral envelope glycoproteins and the host cell receptors. It has been suggested that HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) binds to heparan sulfate (HS) during viral attachment, resulting in a high virion concentration at the cell surface and further binding to the cellular receptor. This interaction has been proposed to modulate immune responses. To date, three receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα), and cellular integrins (α2β1, α6β1, and αvβ3), have been implicated during HCMV entry. In addition, recent studies have suggested the potential role of a sulfated form of heparan sulfate (HS) during HCMV entry. Therefore understanding overall mechanism is critical to develop novel therapeutic interventions.The special issue on ‘Human cytomegalovirus infection’ will focus on the current status of our understanding of the mechanism of HCMV in entry and spread to have an opportunities for future therapeutic intervention. We thus invite submission of research and review manuscripts that cover any aspect of the epidemiology, molecular and cell biology, immunology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection-related HCMV. I look forward to your contributions and to a valuable edition that will promote further developments in this exciting field.Thank you for your collaboration.

Assoc. Prof. Vaibhav Tiwari
Guest Editor

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