The temporal coordination of viral gene expression is imperative for the regulation of the herpesvirus replication cycle. While the main factors of this transcriptional coordination are known, the subtler control mechanisms of gene expression remain elusive. Recent long read sequencing-based approached have revealed an intricate meshwork of overlaps between the herpesvirus transcripts and the overlap of the replication origins with noncoding RNAs. It has been shown that the transcriptional apparatuses can physically interfere with one another while transcribing overlapping regions. We hypothesize that transcriptional interference regulates the global gene expression across the herpesvirus genome. Additionally, an overall decrease in transcriptional activity in individual viral genes has been observed following the onset of DNA replication. An overlap of the replication origins with specific transcripts has also been described in several herpesviruses. The genome-wide interactions between the transcriptional apparatuses and between the replication and transcriptional machineries suggest the existence of novel layers of genetic regulation.
Keywords: DNA replication; Herpesvirus; Nanopore sequencing; Transcriptional interference; Transcriptional overlap.