Cytomegalovirus and cardiovascular disease: a hypothetical role for viral G protein-coupled receptors in hypertension

Am J Hypertens. 2023 May 6:hpad045. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpad045. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTCytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the β- herpesviruses and is ubiquitous, infecting 50-99% of the human population depending on ethnic and socioeconomic conditions. CMV establishes lifelong, latent infections in their host. Spontaneous reactivation of CMV is usually asymptomatic, but reactivation events in immunocompromised or immunosuppressed individuals can lead to severe morbidity and mortality. Moreover, herpesvirus infections have been associated with several cardiovascular and post-transplant diseases (stroke, atherosclerosis, post-transplant vasculopathy and hypertension). Herpesviruses, including CMV, encode viral G protein-coupled receptors (vGPCRs) that alter the host cell by hijacking signaling pathways that play important roles in the viral life cycle and these cardiovascular diseases. In this brief review, we discuss the pharmacology and signaling properties of these vGPCRs, and their contribution to hypertension. Overall, these vGPCRs can be considered attractive targets moving forward in the development of novel hypertensive therapies.PMID:37148218 | DOI:10.1093/ajh/hpad045

Source: American Journal of Hypertension - May 6, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Gisele F Bomfim Fernanda Priviero Emma Poole Rita C Tostes John H Sinclair Dimitrios Stamou Mark J Uline Mark R Wills R Clinton Webb Source Type: research