Description
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) induces pro-inflammatory monocytes following infection and we have evidence that EGFR is a key mediator in this early activation. To begin to address how this signalling pathway is responsible for the rapid activation of infected monocytes, we examined the role this pathway played in the transcriptome of infected monocytes. Global transcriptional profiling using cDNA microarrays revealed a significant number of genes, including inflammatory genes, were regulated in a EGFR-dependent manner, identifying this pathway as a key cellular control point in the conversion of monocytes to an activated pro-inflammatory state following HCMV infection.