Objective: To investigate the effect of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) IE1 protein on the secretory activity and apoptosis of macrophages. Methods: The eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-C1/IE1 was used to transfect THP-1-macrophages. 48 h after transfection, the expression and localization of GFP or GFP-IE1 was observed under fluorescent microscope. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the culture media were examined by ELISA, and the mRNA expression of them was analyzed by RT-PCR. Cell undergoing apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry using ...