Upon productive HCMV infection of monocytes, various signaling pathways are induced, among which a key role is played by EGFR-mediated induction of PI(3)K, Akt, N-WASP, NF-κB, and Sp-1, promoting survival and differentiation (reviewed in Lee et al., 2021). Here, AKT1 is linked to cytomegalovirus infection.