The mouse gamma-herpesvirus is invisible to its host immune system by virtue of its episome maintenance protein (ORF73), which is analogous to a protein in the human EBV.

Retroviral vectors are versatile gene transfer vehicles widely used in basic research and gene therapy. Mutation of retroviral integrase converts these vectors into transient, integration ...

Published: 13 May 2010 Delivery of an EBV episome by a self-circularizing helper-dependent adenovirus: long-term transgene expression in immunocompetent mice J S Gil, S D Gallaher & A J Berk ...

KSHV persists as a multi-copy, nuclear episome in latently infected cells. KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen (kLANA) binds viral terminal repeat (kTR) DNA to mediate episome persistence.

“Our method employs an episome that contains the transcription factors needed to drive the cell to pluripotency,” Dr. Nuwaysir explained. “That episome never integrates into the cell.

On the other hand, an episome doesn’t take part in the normal duplication of DNA that occurs when a cell divides, and will, therefore, pass down to only one of the daughter cells formed.