XIAP and cytomegalovirus infection: Akt activated by HCMV infection leads to the upregulation of a unique subset of anti-apoptotic proteins, including myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) protein, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), necessary for the survival of infected monocytes [9, 15, 17, 18].