Comparative Analysis of Gammaherpesvirus Circular RNA Repertoires: Conserved and Unique Viral Circular RNAs

Abstract

Infection with oncogenic gammaherpesviruses leads to long-term viral persistence through a dynamic interplay between the virus and the host immune system. Critical for remodeling of the host cell environment after the immune responses are viral noncoding RNAs that modulate host signaling pathways without attracting adaptive immune recognition. Despite the importance of noncoding RNAs in persistent infection, the circRNA class of noncoding RNAs has only recently been identified in gammaherpesviruses. Accordingly, their roles in virus infection and associated oncogenesis are unknown. Here we report evolutionary conservation of EBV-encoded circRNAs determined by assessing the circRNAome in rLCV-infected lymphomas from an SIV-infected rhesus macaque, and we report latent and lytic circRNAs from KSHV and MHV68. These experiments demonstrate utilization of the circular RNA class of RNAs across 4 members of the gammaherpesvirus subfamily, and they identify orthologues and potential homoplastic circRNAs, implying conserved circRNA functions in virus biology and associated malignancies.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 15, 2019
Source ID
10.1128/jvi.01952-18

Entities

People

  • Cecily Midkiff
  • Claire Roberts
  • Dennis Kolson
  • Erik K Flemington
  • Jacqueline Serfecz
  • Michael Seddon
  • Nathan A. Ungerleider
  • Nicholas J. Maness
  • Robert V. Blair
  • Rolf Renne
  • Scott A. Tibbetts
  • Shanshan Bai
  • Terri Lehman
  • Tianfang Ma
  • Vaibhav Jain
  • Walter N. Moss
  • Xavier Alvarez
  • Xia Wang
  • Yan Dong
  • Yiping Wang

Organizations

  • Iowa State University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Tulane University of Louisiana
  • United States Department of Defense
  • University of Florida
  • University of Pennsylvania

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Virology (or Medical Virology).