Inhibition of Human Cytomegalovirus Entry into Host Cells through A Pleiotropic Small Molecule

Elste, James; Kaltenbach, Dominik; Patel, Vraj R.; Nguyen, Max T.; Sharthiya, Harsh; Tandon, Ritesh; Mehta, Satish K.; Volin, Michael V.; Fornaro, Michele; Tiwari, Vaibhav; Desai, Umesh R.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), also known as human herpesvirus 5, is a widespread pathogen among human populations [1] [2] [3] . To establish a successful infection, HCMV depends on a unique set of immune evasion strategies, using encoded proteins and mRNA to avoid a competent innate and adaptive immune response [4] . HCMV-mediated infections are a recognized cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals as compared to otherwise healthy or immunocompetent individuals [5] [6] [7] . During the early stages of fetus development, HCMV infection in utero can result in disseminated infection with severe neurological impairments [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] . In addition, HCMV infection can also cause visual impairments in the form of retinitis, which is commonly seen in the AIDS population [15] [16] [17] . Interestingly, HCMV is capable of infecting multiple cell and tissue types, which suggests its ability to interact with a diverse array of host cell receptors to establish an infection [18] [19] [20] .