Isoform-Resolved Temporal Remodeling of Transcriptome Architecture in Monkeypox Virus

Temporal transcriptome remodeling in monkeypox virus is linked to extensive shifts in transcription start/end site usage and full-length isoform composition across six infection time points.

• Why it matters: Gene-level abundance alone cannot capture how monkeypox virus reorganizes transcript boundaries and isoform architecture over infection, limiting understanding of coordinated regulation.
• What they did: The team reanalyzed replicated Oxford Nanopore direct cDNA data from six infection time points, filtered candidate full-length transcript models using independent 5′/3′ end evidence, and integrated cap analysis and native direct RNA sequencing.
• The result: Host-virus interaction and transcription/nucleotide-metabolism genes dominate early, while virion structure and morphogenesis genes dominate later; transcript-end abundance and alternative full-length structures redistribute over time, with differential transcript usage prominent early.