“…If so, degenerative diseases which result from the impaired expression of tissuespecific functions could result from the repression of tissuespecific gene expression by mechanisms analogous to those described here for Ela and the insulin gene. Indeed, both herpes simplex virus type 1 and cytomegalovirus, another herpesvirus, have been isolated from the pancreas of patients suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and have been suggested as pathogenic factors for the disease (27,36,56). The herpes simplex virus type 1 and cytomegalovirus immediate early proteins share certain properties with Ela in transcription assays (14,17,25,26,30,47,48).…”