System Maintenance Notice

Please note that maintenance work is scheduled between 4 AM and 5 AM - CET. During this time, you may experience reduced performance. Thanks for your patience.

Publications

Journal Article Review Epublish

PubMed: 40589575 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1602497

The role of pioneering transcription factors, chromatin accessibility and epigenetic reprogramming in oncogenic viruses.

Front Microbiol 16:1602497

Authors: Mankgopo Kgatle, Saidon Mbambara, Leon Khoza, Olalekan Fadebi, Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, Mike Sathekge

Affiliations

  • Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tropical Diseases Research Center, Ndola, Zambia.
  • Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa. Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health System and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Abstract

Oncogenic viruses typically manipulate host cellular mechanisms to drive tumorigenesis. They exploit pioneering transcription factors to modify gene expression, enabling uncontrolled proliferation. These viruses alter chromatin accessibility and induce chromatin remodelling, disrupting DNA repair and promoting viral genome integration. Additionally, epigenetic reprogramming through mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modifications silences tumor suppressor genes and activates oncogenes. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for identifying more improved therapeutic targets, improving diagnostics, and predicting disease progression. Advances in this field can guide the development of innovative treatments and early detection tools. This comprehensive review synthesizes existing knowledge on the contributions of oncogenic viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papillomavirus (HPV), and human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) to cancer development, highlighting their therapeutic relevance and driving forward research in viral oncogenesis.

MeSH

Oncogenes, Cells, Genes, Transcription Factors, Neoplasms, Chromatin, Herpesvirus 4, Human, Oncogenic Viruses, Carcinogenesis, Viruses, Herpesvirus 8, Human, Therapeutics, Alphapapillomavirus, Hepatitis, Human Papillomavirus Viruses