Ubiquitination dynamics in human tumour viruses

The ubiquitin conjugation system is a critical regulator of cellular homeo-stasis and influences various cellular processes. Viruses, as obligate intracel-lular parasites, have evolved sophisticated strategies to utilise this systemto enhance their survival, to either increase virus production or ensure thelong-term survival of the latently infected host. Viruses from almost allfamilies, including RNA and DNA viruses, are challenged byubiquitin-mediated mechanisms at different stages of their life cycle andhave evolved to exploit or bypass the host cell ubiquitination system fortheir own replication. In this review, we examine the diverse functions ofthe ubiquitin conjugation system during the different stages of viral infec-tion, including viral entry, replication, gene expression, assembly andrelease. We discuss how human oncogenic viruses manipulate host ubiquiti-nation pathways to maintain infection, evade immune responses and driveoncogenesis. Finally, we highlight new research aimed at uncovering theprecise molecular interactions between oncoviruses and the host ubiquitina-tion system, which will pave the way for the development of advancedtherapeutic strategies to treat viral infections and cancer.