Human Cytomegalovirus UL138 Protein Inhibits the STING Pathway and Reduces Interferon Beta mRNA Accumulation during Lytic and Latent Infections

While a cellular restriction versus viral countermeasure arms race between innate immunity and viral latency is expected, few examples have been documented. Our identification of the first HCMV latency protein that inactivates the cGAS/STING/TBK1 innate immune pathway opens the door to understanding how innate immunity, or its neutralization, impacts long-term persistence by HCMV and other latent viruses.