Viral non-coding RNAs hijack host Pumilio proteins to regulate host transcripts. (PubMed, bioRxiv)
In BJAB B cells, HSUR1 still drives PRE-dependent gene regulation, but the affected genes only partially overlap with those in Jurkat cells, and some transcripts even show reversed direction of change, revealing strong cell-type specificity. By identifying PUM1/2 as key host partners of HSUR ncRNAs, this work uncovers an underappreciated role for PUM proteins in shaping T- and B-cell states and reveals an additional way in which γ -herpesviral ncRNAs reprogram lymphocytes to promote viral persistence.