Introduction Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is responsible for human infections with various clinical presentations, followed by long-lasting viral latency in the spinal and cranial ganglia.
Here we summarize different molecular aspects of viral latency, from its establishment in resting CD4+ T cells to the mechanisms involved in the reactivation of latent viral reservoirs.
The latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) is expressed by Epstein Barr virus during viral latency and displaying properties of a constitutively activated member of the TNF receptor family.
Similar to HIV or chicken pox, herpes has viral latency, or the ability to lie dormant in your body for years without showing any signs or symptoms.
Other functions for RNAi in mammalian viruses also exist, such as miRNAs expressed by the herpes virus that may act as heterochromatin organization triggers to mediate viral latency.
It is also required for maintaining viral latency.
Because these miRNAs were identified as components of the viral latency program, we speculate that they may contribute to the maintenance of viral latency.
Viral latency and reactivation in stromal cells may also be important in Kaposi's Sarcoma [31].
One reasonable explanation is that the virus requires backup systems to maintain viral latency safely.
Taken together, these data indicated that HDAC3 plays an important role in suppressing RTA promoter transcription during viral latency.
We further showed that HDAC3 was recruited to the RTA promoter and inhibited RTA transcription during viral latency.
