EPAS1 and cytomegalovirus infection: It has been found that human cytomegalovirus infection inhibited proliferation but promoted VSMC apoptosis by upregulating microRNA-US33-5p, and microRNA-US33-5p bound to the 3’-untranslated region of EPAS1 to suppress its expression (20), indicating the role of EPAS1 in acute aortic dissection.