Cytomegalovirus subverts macrophage identity [Alveolar macrophages]

Macrophages, which populate barrier tissues already in the embryo, are primary targets for CMV. Upon infection macrophages undergo a morphological, immunophenotypic and metabolic transformation process with features of stemness, altered migration, enhanced invasiveness and provision of the cell cycle machinery to viral proliferation. mRNA Transcriptomes of control, bystanding (non-infected) and infected alveolar macrophages at 3dpi were prepared in biological triplicates.