Consistent with these hypotheses, transcripts for several proteins involved in membrane trafficking are upregulated during HCMV infection (Hertel and Mocarski, 2004), including Rab27A, a regulator of lysosome-related organelles (LRO) and exocytosis via SVs, and SNARE protein syntaxin 3 (STX3), which participates in membrane fusion during exocytosis. The gene discussed is STX3; the disease is cytomegalovirus infection.