Fig. (3).

Impact of CMV infection on cellular physiology, gene expression, and function. Following CMV infection, a variety of fates potentially await the infected cell, depending on the target organ and embryological state of the cell. These include transformation/dysregulation of cellular replication; immune activation and/or immune evasion; modification of apoptosis mechanisms and perturbation of cell cycle regulation; changes in cellular metabolism; and global perturbations in transcriptional and proteomic profiles. Cell death and lysis may also occur following infection. The synergy of these effects on the infected cell likely mediates much of the pathology and pathogenesis associated with congenital infection.