title: Keeping it quiet: chromatin control of gammaherpesvirus latency.
abstract: The human gammaherpesviruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) establish long-term latent infections associated with diverse human cancers. Viral oncogenesis depends on the ability of the latent viral genome to persist in host nuclei as episomes that express a restricted yet dynamic pattern of viral genes. Multiple epigenetic events control viral episome generation and maintenance. This Review highlights some of the recent findings on the role of chromatin assembly, histone and DNA modifications, and higher-order chromosome structures that enable gammaherpesviruses to establish stable latent infections that mediate viral pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lieberman
mesh_terms: D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017735:Virus Latency
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D004247:DNA