Characterization of human cytomegalovirus UL145 and UL136 genes in low-passage clinical isolates from infected Chinese infants.

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. The unique long b' (ULB') region of HCMV contains at least 19 open reading frames (ORFs); however, little is known about the function of UL145 and UL136. We characterized UL145 and UL136 in low-passage clinical isolates from Chinese infants.

[Identification and expression of human cytomegalovirus UL148 mRNA of low-passage clinical isolates in Guangzhou].

Objective: To research the structure of the unique gene UL148 of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) clinical strain in Guangzhou, analyze the relation between its structure polymorphism and HCMV congenital infection, investigate the function of its expression products, and try to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of the gene in HCMV infection in newborns.

Methods: Urine samples were collected from 10 newborns with HCMV infection and inoculated on human fetal lung cells. The viral DNA was isolated, and UL148 gene fragment was amplified and identified.