Intriguingly, however, uninfected MRC-5 and to a lesser extend RPE-1 cells expressed tnfr2 mRNA (Figure 4B), suggesting that TNFR2 surface levels in MRC-5 cells are negatively regulated, at least in part, by post-transcriptional mechanisms that are altered upon HCMV infection. The gene discussed is TNFRSF1B; the disease is cytomegalovirus infection.