Given that the HCMV-encoded glycoproteins US7, US8, and US9 can inhibit the innate antiviral response, and also that US10 seems to attenuate IFN-β production, the US7-US10 region of the HCMV genome might be a reservoir of viral genes that function together and simultaneously to subvert host innate antiviral responses, particularly at later time points of infection. This evidence concerns the gene RPS16 and infection.