BiP/GRP78 is a pro-viral factor for diverse dsDNA viruses that promotes the survival and proliferation of cells upon KSHV infection.

The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-resident HSP70 chaperone BiP (HSPA5) plays a crucial role in maintaining and restoring protein folding homeostasis in the ER. BiP's function is often dysregulated in cancer and virus-infected cells, conferring pro-oncogenic and pro-viral advantages. We explored BiP's functions during infection by the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), an oncogenic gamma-herpesvirus associated with cancers of immunocompromised patients.