EBV, KSHV and HSV OriS are envisioned to form higher-order structures that include inverted repeat hairpins that bind viral (UL9, Zta) or cellular (C/EBP-α) proteins. Transcription complexes formed at both ends of OriLyts are envisioned to induce topological changes that promote DNA unwinding and templates suitable for viral DNA replisomes to assemble.
EBV: Epstein–Barr virus; HSV: Herpes simplex virus; KSHV: Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus; OriS: Repeated short-region origin of replication.