The Zheng laboratory first identified RNA cis-elements in regulation of alternative RNA splicing in papillomavirus in 1996 and has been studying protein-RNA interactions and their consequences in various infections with tumorviruses, including high-risk human papillomaviruses and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Their studies aim to understand how RNA splicing and small regulatory RNAs regulate the expression of viral and host genes in viral carcinogenesis. The long-term goal is to develop a series of therapeutic approaches to control viral or cellular gene expression for cancer treatment and to identify biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and prognosis.