Papillomavirus transcripts and posttranscriptional regulation

Papillomavirus gene expression is strictly linked to the differentiation state of the infected cell and is highly regulated at the level of transcription and RNA processing. All papillomaviruses make extensive use of alternative mRNA polyadenylation and splicing to control gene expression. This chapter contains a compilation of all known alternatively spliced papillomavirus mRNAs and it summarizes our current knowledge of viral RNA elements, and viral and cellular factors that control papillomavirus mRNA processing.