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Extended poly(A) tails are a shared feature of herpesvirus mRNAs

Erik Fuhrmann1,2, Sae Toda1,3, Jonas Leins1

  • 1Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Plos Pathogens
|June 16, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Herpesviruses possess unusually long poly(A) tails on their messenger RNAs (mRNAs), unlike other viruses and host cells. This extended polyadenylation may enhance herpesviral gene expression.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Virology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Poly(A) tails on messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are crucial for translation, stability, and deadenylation in the cytoplasm.
  • Poly(A)-binding proteins interact with these tails to regulate gene expression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare poly(A) tail length distributions across various viral and cellular mRNAs.
  • To explore the role of poly(A) tail length in herpesvirus gene expression.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized nanopore direct RNA sequencing.
  • Analyzed poly(A) tail length distributions on cellular and viral mRNAs during infections with Herpesviridae, other DNA viruses, and RNA viruses.

Main Results:

  • Herpesvirus mRNAs exhibit significantly longer poly(A) tails compared to cellular and other viral mRNAs.
  • Coronavirus and poxviral mRNAs show poly(A) tail lengths similar to host mRNAs.
  • Herpesviral noncoding RNAs display varied poly(A) tailing patterns.
  • Mixed non-adenosine nucleotides in herpesviral poly(A) tails were insufficient to explain extended tail lengths.

Conclusions:

  • Herpesviruses employ a widespread mechanism of extended poly(A) tails on their mRNAs, potentially conferring a gene expression advantage.
  • This contrasts with other viral polyadenylation strategies and suggests uncharacterized regulatory layers.
  • The extended poly(A) tails are a distinct feature of herpesviral gene expression, not fully explained by mixed nucleotide composition.

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