Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Author Spotlight: Characterizing DNA Replication of Pathogenic Repeats to Uncover Mechanisms of Replication Fork Stalling and Expansion
05:22

Author Spotlight: Characterizing DNA Replication of Pathogenic Repeats to Uncover Mechanisms of Replication Fork Stalling and Expansion

Published on: September 13, 2024

1.2K

Viruses and the host replisome: discovering oncogenic mechanisms of small DNA tumor viruses

Christopher D Collins1,2,3, Matthew Stefely2, Kavi Prem Milan Mehta4

  • 1John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Center for Research in Virology, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Journal of Virology
|January 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) oncoproteins disrupt the host replisome, leading to genomic instability and cancer. New technologies like iPOND help uncover these viral mechanisms for better understanding of oncogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Oncogenic viruses
  • Genomic instability
  • DNA replication

Background:

  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) are DNA tumor viruses implicated in human cancers.
  • The precise mechanisms by which viral oncoproteins induce genomic instability remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the influence of HPV and MCPyV oncoproteins on the host replisome.
  • To highlight the role of emerging technologies in studying viral oncogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on viral oncoproteins and host DNA replication.
  • Discussion of advanced techniques such as isolation of proteins on nascent DNA (iPOND).

Main Results:

  • Viral oncoproteins interact with and dysregulate components of the host replisome.
  • These disruptions contribute to the genomic instability observed in virus-associated cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the interplay between viral oncoproteins and the host replisome is crucial for deciphering viral oncogenesis.
  • Technologies like iPOND offer powerful tools for future discoveries in this field.
Keywords:
DNA damageDNA damage repairDNA replicationDNA tumor virusesMerkel cell polyomavirushost replisomehuman papillomavirusiPONDviral oncoproteins

More Related Videos

Genome-wide RNAi Screening to Identify Host Factors That Modulate Oncolytic Virus Therapy08:51

Genome-wide RNAi Screening to Identify Host Factors That Modulate Oncolytic Virus Therapy

Published on: April 3, 2018

9.5K
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Motion Dynamics of the Eukaryotic Replisome Components at the Single-Molecule Level10:11

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Motion Dynamics of the Eukaryotic Replisome Components at the Single-Molecule Level

Published on: July 26, 2024

1.6K

Related Concept Videos

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
6.8K
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
6.6K
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with...
38.0K
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

9.7K
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
6.2K
DNA Helicases00:55

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
23.8K