Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) utilizes the NDP52/CALCOCO2 selective autophagy receptor to disassemble processing bodies

Author summary Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes several forms of cancer including Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS). Multiple KSHV gene products contribute to inflammatory processes that sustain cancer cells. Processing bodies (PBs) are poorly characterized cellular structures that suppress inflammation by interfering with the mRNAs that encode inflammatory mediator proteins. We previously showed that a viral protein known as KapB caused PBs to disappear in KSHV infected cells. Here, we reveal the mechanism of PB disappearance in infected cells, whereby KapB co-opts the cellular catabolic process of autophagy to direct PB disassembly. This discovery centers autophagy in viral control of inflammation and provides yet another striking example of subversion of normal cellular processes by cancer-causing viruses.