Conserved and distinct expression of circular RNAs in commercially used Marek's disease vaccine viruses.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed RNA molecules, supporting a wide diversity of functions. While aberrant circRNA expression stands as a recognized hallmark of cancer development, our attention has turned to investigating their role in viral infections, specifically (GaHV-2, Marek's disease virus) infection. In a previous study focused on the virulent GaHV-2 strain, RB-1B, we extensively catalogued circRNAs produced from virulence genes, notably from the MEQ-vIL-8 and the latency-associated transcripts (LATs) gene.

Marek's Disease Virus Virulence Genes Encode Circular RNAs.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently rediscovered class of functional noncoding RNAs that are involved in gene regulation and cancer development. Next-generation sequencing approaches identified circRNA fragments and sequences underlying circularization events in virus-induced cancers. In the present study, we performed viral circRNA expression analysis and full-length sequencing in infections with Marek's disease virus (MDV), which serves as a model for herpesvirus-induced tumorigenesis.