Recent Studies on Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Circular RNAs

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), an AIDS-defining illness, is caused by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). A member of the human herpesvirus family, designated as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), KSHV is also linked to other oncogenic manifestations such as primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). The current dearth of available compounds against KSHV necessitates development of effective antiviral treatments. As with other herpesviruses, KSHV can result in both lytic and latent infections. KSHV pathogenesis and the development of KS have been associated with the expression of KSHV genes and transcripts during viral infections. The transcriptome of KSHV heavily intersects with regulatory pathways and mechanisms involved with a multitude of diseases in humans. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently been discovered to be expressed by KSHV. Research endeavors on KSHV circRNAs have focused on the roles they play throughout latent and lytic infection. Understanding the specific functions and interactions of KSHV circRNAs with the viral and host transcriptomes, as well as how they are identified and analyzed, will be the primary focus of this review. Overall, recent advances in KSHV circRNA research have deepened our understanding of the KSHV transcriptome and pathogenesis and are paving the way for the development of circRNA-based antiviral therapies.