2025 Hyper Recent •CC0 1.0 Universal

This work is dedicated to the public domain. No rights reserved.

Access Preprint From Server
July 17th, 2025
Version: 2
University of Helsinki
molecular biology
biorxiv

Oncogenic virus hijacks SOX18 pioneer function to enhance viral persistence

Tuohinto, K.Open in Google Scholar•Graus, M. S.Open in Google Scholar•Staab, P.Open in Google Scholar•Tiusanen, V.Open in Google Scholar•Pradhan, S.Open in Google Scholar•Wong, Y. Y.Open in Google Scholar•Weissmann, S.Open in Google Scholar•Lou, J.Open in Google Scholar•Hinde, E.Open in Google Scholar•Wong, J.Open in Google Scholaret al.

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) establishes lifelong oncogenic infection in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) by ensuring episomal maintenance of its genome via the viral protein LANA. Efficient viral genome maintenance typically involves host DNA replication and episome tethering, but the extent of cell-type-specific regulation remains unclear. Here, we identify that KSHV hijacks the pioneering function of the endothelial-specific transcription factor SOX18 to facilitate persistence of viral episomes. Upon infection, LANA co-opts SOX18 to recruit the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex via its ATPase subunit BRG1, enhancing chromatin accessibility and enabling efficient viral genome persistence. Disruption of SOX18 or BRG1, genetically or pharmacologically, leads to reduced episome load and attenuated hallmarks of virus infection. This work highlights how viruses can harness lineage-specific transcriptional regulators to establish persistent nuclear retention of their episome into the host genome.

Similar Papers

biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
A Robust Crystallographic Platform for High-Throughput β-Catenin Ligand Discovery
This study presents a robust crystallographic platform for assessing {beta}-catenin protein-binding compounds. We developed a standardized protein production protocol for the armadillo domain of {beta}-catenin (BC-ARM) and performed biophysical screens using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF). These findings led to the successful determination of the co-cry...
Klejnot, M.
•
Skowron, A. N.
•
Szymanski, J.
•
Ulatowski, F.
...•
Walczak, M. J.
biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
METTL3 promotes cell cycle progression via activation of transcriptional elongation.
Transcription elongation through the phosphorylation of RNA Pol II by CDK9 (P-TEFb) is not only required for mRNA transcription to produce proteins, but is a fundamental mechanism required for proper cell cycle progression. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase METTL3 methylates mRNAs co-transcriptionally, modulating their downstream processing as well as the non-coding RNA 7SK post-transcrip...
Alarcon, C.
biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
Correlated protein-RNA associations reveal a requirement for HNRNPU in long-range Polycomb recruitment by the lncRNAs Airn, Kcnq1ot1, and Xist
The lncRNAs Airn, Kcnq1ot1, and Xist recruit Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRCs) and repress genes over multi-megabase genomic regions, but how they interact with proteins to carry out repression remain poorly understood. To investigate, we conducted RNA-immunoprecipitations from formaldehyde-crosslinked mouse trophoblast stem cells, using antibodies against 27 proteins known to associate with Xi...
Murvin, M. M.
•
Li, S.
•
Boyson, S.
•
Zhang, Z.
...•
Calabrese, M.
biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
An Unexpected Role of Molecular Chaperones in Regulating the Excited States and Activities of Folded Enzymes
Emerging evidence suggests that chaperones not only facilitate the folding of nascent polypeptides but also interact with quasi-native or natively folded proteins. However, the biological significance of these interactions remains unclear. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the molecular chaperone-like protein BSA reshapes the energy landscape of folded client proteins, increasing the pop...
Wang, G.
•
Bin, Y.
•
Chen, Y.
•
Ding, R.
...•
He, L.
biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
miR-10b-5p regulates adipocyte lineage commitment and adipogenesis via targeting of Gata6 and Tubby.
Background Adipogenesis is a highly organised series of events that facilitates the healthy expansion of adipose tissue, beginning during embryogenesis and continuing throughout life. White adipogenesis protects against lipotoxicity, influencing insulin resistance and obesity-related comorbidities. Brown adipogenesis enhances energy expenditure, thereby counteracting weight gain, lipotoxicity and ...
Kalenderoglou, N.
•
Dimitri, F.
•
Gonzalez, C. N.
•
Vidal-Puig, A.
...•
Christian, M.
biorxiv
Thu Jul 17 2025
A high-throughput microbial glycomics platform for prebiotic development
The intestinal glycome contains carbohydrates that govern the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiome. Gut microbes differentially access intestinal glycans as a nutrient source thereby directing microbial abundance and metabolite synthesis. Thus, identifying microbial accessible carbohydrates (MACs) in the gut is critical to understanding microbial ecologies and developing novel prebioti...
Modesto, J. L.
•
Kabonick, S. G.
•
Lausch, J. E.
•
Verma, K.
...•
Townsend, G. E.
biorxiv
Wed Jul 16 2025
Early intermittent low dose sclerostin antibody treatment promotes sur-face bone formation and reduces bone loss, but also decreases osteocyte apoptosis and mechanotransduction in ovariectomized rats
Neutralizing sclerostin antibodies mitigate bone loss and promote bone formation, thereby re-ducing fracture risk in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Clinically, this treatment targets women at high risk of fragility fractures years after menopause. However, bone loss occurs rapidly during early menopause, followed by longer-term changes in bone mineralization. These changes are associated with osteoc...
Naqvi, S. M.
•
Ali Rizvi, S. W.
•
Allison, H.
•
O'Sullivan, L.
...•
McNamara, L. M.
biorxiv
Wed Jul 16 2025
Epigenetic delineation of the earliest cardiac lineage segregation by single-cell multi-omics
The mammalian heart is formed from multiple mesoderm-derived cell lineages. However, it remains largely unknown when and how the specification of mesoderm towards cardiac lineages is determined. Here, we systematically depict the transcriptional trajectories toward cardiomyocyte in early mouse embryo, and characterize the epigenetic landscapes underlying the early mesodermal lineage specification ...
Xie, P.
•
Jiang, X.
•
He, J.
•
Pan, Q.
...•
Lin, C.
biorxiv
Wed Jul 16 2025
A versatile method to expand and compare transporter substrate spectra
Membrane transport proteins (transporters) are critical players in the physiology of complex organisms. The range of metabolites a transporter translocates across a membrane (substrate spectra) determines the membrane selectivity and, consequently, the transporter\'s physiologic function. Nevertheless, determining the full substrate spectra of a transporter, and hence its role(s) in the organism, ...
de Prado Parralejo, V.
•
Theodorou, C.
•
Crocoll, C.
•
Nour-Eldin, H. H.