Herpesviruses are master manipulators. Once inside the body, they can turn healthy cells into virus factories within a few short hours.

“These tiny organisms come with few of their own resources, yet they’re exquisitely adept at taking control of their far more powerful host,” says Britt Glaunsinger. “That makes them fantastic teachers of our own biology.” A Berkeley professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Glaunsinger studies the cell takeover tactics of gamma herpesviruses. Their interactions with human cells are illuminating how cells regulate their own gene expression via RNA.


Viruses separate PABP from cytoplasmic mRNA. PABP then travels to the nucleus, where it prevents new mRNAs from being exported into the cytoplasm. This essentially halts cellular gene expression in favor of viral proteins manufacturing.

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