Virus mimics human protein to hijack cell division machinery

In essence, UL97 disables the brakes and hits the gas. Once a host cell is primed toward growth, HCMV takes over and steals the cell's machinery to reproduce itself.

The virus's bloodhound-like ability to seek out and target the most essential pieces of a cell's machinery makes it a valuable research tool, Kalejta says.

"Viruses are smarter than we are. They know a lot more about cells than we do, because their life depends on it - they're obligate intracellular parasites," he says. "If they attack a part of the cell - a process or a protein - you know it's important for the cell. If the virus pays attention to it, you should too."

Kalejta next hopes to use UL97 to find other proteins that may be important for cell growth. He also sees potential clinical applications down the road. HCMV infection is very common and, though it remains asymptomatic in most people, it has been implicated in some cancers and can cause trouble in people with compromised or suppressed immune systems, such as AIDS patients and transplant recipients. In addition, UL97-like proteins are also found in the other seven human herpes viruses, some of which are directly linked to cancers.

The advantages of the research are two-fold, Kalejta says. "We're studying a virus that causes human disease and might eventually find a way to treat that infection and help patients. At the same time, we're learning about how the cell works, which has implications for patients that don't have infections," he says. "You get two for the price of one."

Other authors on the paper include Adam Hume, Jonathan Finkel, and Michael Culbertson from UW-Madison and Jeremy Kamil and Donald Coen from Harvard Medical School. The work was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Wisconsin Partnership for a Healthy Future, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the American Heart Association.

- Jill Sakai, (608) 262-9772,