In the context of virus infection, these data suggest that HIRA is likely to play a critical role in the regulation of innate immune defences under physiological infection conditions that result in comparatively low levels of cytokine secretion, for example in the context of WT herpesvirus infections that express a full complement of immune antagonists (Figs 5H and 7). This evidence concerns the gene HIRA and Herpesviridae infectious disease.