2930 Viruses subvert macromolecular pathways in infected host cells to aid in viral gene amplification 31 or to counteract innate immune responses. Roles for host-encoded RNAs, including 32 microRNAs, have been found to provide pro-and anti-viral functions. Recently, circular RNAs 33 (circRNAs), that are generated by a nuclear back-splicing mechanism of pre-mRNAs, have 34 been implicated to have roles in DNA virus-infected cells. This study examines the circular RNA 35 landscape in uninfected and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected liver cells. Results showed that the 36 abundances of distinct classes of circRNAs were up-regulated or down-regulated in infected 37 cells. Identified circRNAs displayed pro-viral effects. One particular up-regulated circRNA, 38 circPSD3, displayed a very pronounced effect on viral RNA abundances in both hepatitis C 39 virus-and Dengue virus-infected cells. Surprisingly, circPSD3 also inhibited the cellular 40 nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway in liver cells. Thus, enhanced abundance of 41 circPSD3 in virus-infected cells aids in viral replication and likely contributes to the known 42 inhibition of NMD in HCV-infected cells. Findings from the global analyses of the circular RNA 43 landscape argue pro-, and likely, anti-viral functions are executed by circRNAs that modulate 44 both viral gene expression as well as host pathways. Because of their long half-lives, circRNAs 45 likely play hitherto unknown, important roles in viral pathogenesis. 46 47 48 Author Summary 49 50 Usually, cells are infected by one or a few virus particles that carry genomes with limited 51 expression capacity. Thus, the expression of viral genomes has to compete with a sea of 52 cellular components that aid in viral translation, replication and virion production. Depending on 53 their lifestyle, viruses have evolved to avoid or to subvert cellular pathways, especially those 3 54 that display anti-viral functions. Host-derived circular RNA molecules have recently been 55 discovered in the cytoplasm of cells, although, as-of yet, few functions have been assigned to 56 them. Here, we describe alterations in the circular RNA landscape in hepatitis C virus-infected 57 liver cells. Up-regulated and down-regulated circular RNAs were identified, and three of the 58 upregulated RNAs were shown to promote HCV infection. One of them, circPSD3, inhibited the 59 cellular nonsense-mediated RNA decay that is a powerful antiviral response in infected cells. 60 Because circular RNAs are more stable than linear RNAs, they may have important functions 61 during viral infection, dictating the outcomes of innate immune responses and viral 62 pathogenesis. 63 64 Introduction 65 66 Cicrular RNAs (circRNAs) were first detected in plant viral RNA pathogens, termed viroids [1].67 Subsequently, it has shown that eukaryotic cells express circRNAs as well [2, 3]. Some 68 circRNAs contain scrambled exons, which are produced by an abnormal splicing mechanism 69 [4]. Recently, it has been shown that circRNA species are synthesized from pre-...