Review
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Molecular Aspects of Varicella-Zoster Virus Latency
Version 1
: Received: 1 June 2018 / Approved: 4 June 2018 / Online: 4 June 2018 (11:49:09 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Depledge, D.P.; Sadaoka, T.; Ouwendijk, W.J.D. Molecular Aspects of Varicella-Zoster Virus Latency. Viruses 2018, 10, 349. Depledge, D.P.; Sadaoka, T.; Ouwendijk, W.J.D. Molecular Aspects of Varicella-Zoster Virus Latency. Viruses 2018, 10, 349.
Abstract
Primary varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection causes varicella (chickenpox) and the establishment of a lifelong latent infection in ganglionic neurons. VZV reactivates in about one-third of infected individuals to cause herpes zoster, often accompanied by neurological complications. The restricted host range of VZV and, until recently, the lack of suitable in vitro models to study VZV latency have seriously hampered molecular studies of viral latency. Nevertheless, recent technological advances facilitated a series of exciting studies that resulted in the discovery of a VZV latency-associated transcript (VLT) and have redefined our understanding of VZV latency and factors that initiate reactivation. Together, these findings pave the way for a new era of research that may finally unravel the precise molecular mechanisms that govern latency. In this review, we will summarize the implications of recent discoveries in the VZV latency field from both a virus and host perspective and provide a roadmap for future studies.
Keywords
varicella-zoster virus; latency; reactivation; sensory ganglia; VZV latency-associated transcript; open reading frame 63; RNA-sequencing; epigenetics; immunity
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Virology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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