Murine cytomegalovirus (Murid herpesvirus 1) (MCMV)

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), or Murid herpesvirus 1, is a double-stranded DNA virus that serves as the primary animal model for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) due to their shared genomic organization and pathogenesis (Reddehase et al., 2002, PMID: 12433350). The infection of permissive host cells, such as fibroblasts and macrophages, involves viral attachment to heparan sulfate proteoglycans followed by entry and a regulated cascade of gene expression (Krmpotic et al., 2003, PMID: 12907447). This process is characterized by the sequential production of immediate-early (IE), early (E), and late (L) proteins, leading to viral genome replication and virion assembly. While the infection process itself is a biological event rather than a single molecular target, it relies on essential viral components like the DNA polymerase (M105) and the terminase complex (M89/M56) (Crough & Khanna, 2009, PMID: 19133887). Drugs such as ganciclovir and cidofovir are used to inhibit MCMV replication by targeting the viral DNA polymerase, thereby preventing the synthesis of new viral DNA (Smee et al., 1995, PMID: 7598500). The MCMV model is essential for studying viral pathogenesis, latency, and the development of novel vaccines and therapeutics against betaherpesviruses (Reddehase, 2016, PMID: 27033511).

Other names

Murid herpesvirus 1MuHV-1MCMV infectionMurine CMV

Inhibition of viral DNA polymerase