Human Cytomegalovirus pUL93 Is Required for Viral Genome Cleavage and Packaging |
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| Authors: | Bernadette M. DeRussy Ritesh Tandon |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA |
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| Abstract: | Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) pUL93 is essential for virus growth, but its precise function in the virus life cycle is unknown. Here, we characterize a UL93 stop mutant virus (UL93st-TB40/E-BAC) to demonstrate that the absence of this protein does not restrict viral gene expression; however, cleavage of viral DNA into unit-length genomes as well as genome packaging is abolished. Thus, pUL93 is required for viral genome cleavage and packaging. |
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