Viruses and the host replisome: discovering oncogenic mechanisms of small DNA tumor viruses

Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) are DNA tumor viruses that cause human cancer. The mechanisms by which HPV and MCPyV oncoproteins induce genomic instability are not well defined. This minireview discusses the influence of these oncoproteins on the repertoire of proteins at replicating DNA, known as the host replisome, and discusses how new technologies like isolation of proteins on nascent DNA (iPOND) can drive the discovery of viral dysregulation of the host replisome to enhance our understanding of viral oncogenesis.