Abstract
Post-transcriptional events which regulate mRNA biogenesis are fundamental to the control of gene expression. A nascent mRNA is therefore steered through multimeric RNA–protein complexes that mediate its capping, splicing, polyadenylation, nuclear export, and ultimately its translation. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) mRNA transport and accumulation protein, or ORF57, is a functionally conserved protein found in all herpesviruses which plays a pivotal role in enhancing viral gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. As such, ORF57 has been implicated in multiple steps of RNA biogenesis, including augmenting viral splicing, protecting viral RNAs from degradation to enhancing viral mRNA nuclear export and translation. In this review, we highlight the multiple roles of KSHV ORF57 in regulating the post-transcriptional events which are fundamental to the control of virus gene expression.
Highlights
The key function of this family of proteins, conserved amongst all α, β, and γ-herpesviruses, is the enhancement of viral mRNA transcript accumulation, different homologs may have alternative ways they perform this function, as well as additional roles they play within the viral lifecycle
Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) ORF57 is known to interact with the major cellular kinase, casein kinase II, and has been shown to be phosphorylated (Malik and Clements, 2004)
This phosphorylation regulates the interaction between ORF57 and the cellular protein hnRNP K, a multifunctional protein involved in regulating gene expression
Summary
Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) mRNA transport and accumulation protein, or ORF57, is a functionally conserved protein found in all herpesviruses which plays a pivotal role in enhancing viral gene expression at a posttranscriptional level. To circumvent the problem associated with efficient intronless viral mRNA nuclear export KSHV encodes a multifunctional protein, the mRNA transport and accumulation (MTA) protein, or ORF57, which functions in many aspects of RNA processing (Malik et al, 2004b).
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