During Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latent infection, it has been shown that RNAP II transcription complexes are paused at the promoters of KSHV lytic genes OriLyt1, K5, K6 and K7 by the negative elongation factor NELF[11], which results in hyperphosphorylation of serine-5 and hypophosphorylation of serine-2. Here, NSMF is linked to disease arising from reactivation of latent virus.