[Frontiers in Bioscience 14, 4968-4977, June 1, 2009]

RNA processing in the polyoma virus life cycle

Yingqun Huang1, Gordon G. Carmichael2

1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511,2Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030-3301

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Genome organization
4. Temporal regulation of viral gene expression
5. The early promoter
6. Early RNA splicing7. The late promoter8. Late RNA splicing and export9. Regulation of the early-late switch
9.1. Downregulation of early RNAs at late times in infection via late-strand antisense9.2. Activation of late RNA accumulation
10. Acknowledgments
11. References

1. ABSTRACT

Not only is gene regulation in polyoma interesting, but it has also proven to be highly informative and illustrative of a number of novel concepts in gene regulation. Of special interest and importance are the mechanisms by which this virus switches from the expression of early gene products to late gene products after the onset of viral DNA replication. This switch is mediated at least in part by changes in transcription elongation and polyadenylation in the late region, and by the formation and editing of dsRNA in the nucleus. In this review we will summarize the regulation of RNA synthesis and processing during polyoma infection, and will point out in particular those aspects that have been most novel.