US Patent 7179619 Methods and compositions for inhibiting herpesviral replication

This invention provides methods of screening for compounds that inhibit herpesviral transcription and replication. The methods comprise screening test compounds for ability to enhance the activity of homeodomain transcription factor PDX1 in repressing transcription of herpesviral genes (e.g., the IE gene of cytomegalovirus). Transcriptional repression by PDX1 can be monitored using an expression vector comprising a reporter gene operably linked to a PDX1-binding, upstream transcription regulatory sequence of the herpesvirus. The invention further provides methods and pharmaceutical compositions for stimulating PDX1-mediated transcriptional repression in a subject and for treating diseases and conditions associated with herpesviral infection.