scholarly journals Ets-2 repressor factor recruits histone deacetylase to silence human cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene expression in non-permissive cells

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Wright ◽  
Mark Bain ◽  
Linda Teague ◽  
Jane Murphy ◽  
John Sinclair

Previous work from this laboratory has shown that expression of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate-early (IE) genes from the major immediate-early promoter (MIEP) is likely to be regulated by chromatin remodelling around the promoter affecting the acetylation state of core histone tails. The HCMV MIEP contains sequences that bind cellular transcription factors responsible for its negative regulation in undifferentiated, non-permissive cells. Ets-2 repressor factor (ERF) is one such factor that binds to such sequences and represses IE gene expression. Although it is not known how cellular transcription factors such as ERF mediate transcriptional repression of the MIEP, it is likely to involve differentiation-specific co-factors. In this study, the mechanism by which ERF represses HCMV IE gene expression was analysed. ERF physically interacts with the histone deacetylase, HDAC1, both in vitro and in vivo and this physical interaction between ERF and HDAC1 mediates repression of the MIEP. This suggests that silencing of viral IE gene expression, associated with histone deacetylation events around the MIEP, is mediated by differentiation-dependent cellular factors such as ERF, which specifically recruit chromatin remodellers to the MIEP in non-permissive cells.

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mason ◽  
Ian J. Groves ◽  
Mark R. Wills ◽  
John H. Sinclair ◽  
Matthew B. Reeves

Human cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation is a major source of morbidity in immune-suppressed patient populations. Lifelong latent infections are established in CD34+progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which are hallmarked by a lack of major lytic gene expression, genome replication and virus production. A number of studies have shown that inhibition of the major immediate early promoter (MIEP) – the promoter that regulates immediate early (IE) gene expression – is important for the establishment of latency and that, by extension, reactivation requires reversal of this repression of the MIEP. The identification of novel promoters (termed ip1 and ip2) downstream of the MIEP that can drive IE gene expression has led to speculation over the precise role of the MIEP in reactivation. In this study we show that IE transcripts arise from both the MIEP and ip2 promoter in the THP1 cell macrophage cell line and also CD14+monocytes stimulated with phorbol ester. In contrast, we show that in in vitro generated dendritic cells or macrophages that support HCMV reactivation IE transcripts arise predominantly from the MIEP and not the intronic promoters. Furthermore, inhibition of histone modifying enzyme activity confirms the view that the MIEP is predominantly regulated by the activity of cellular chromatin. Finally, we observe that ip2-derived IE transcription is cycloheximide-sensitive in reactivating DCs, behaviour consistent with an early gene designation. Taken together, these data argue that MIEP activity is still important for HCMV reactivation but ip2 activity could play cell-type-specific roles in reactivation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 5369-5379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Fortunato ◽  
Veronica Sanchez ◽  
Judy Y. Yen ◽  
Deborah H. Spector

ABSTRACT Cells infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) after commencing DNA replication do not initiate viral immediate-early (IE) gene expression and divide before arresting. To determine the nature of this blockade, we examined cells that were infected 24 h after release from G0 using immunofluorescence, laser scanning cytometry, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Approximately 40 to 50% of the cells had 2N DNA content, became IE+ in the first 12 h, and arrested. Most but not all of the cells with >2N DNA content did not express IE antigens until after mitosis. To define the small population of IE+ cells that gradually accumulated within the S and G2/M compartments, cells were pulsed with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) just prior to S-phase infection and analyzed at 12 h postinfection for IE gene expression, BrdU positivity, and cell cycle position. Most of the BrdU+ cells were IE− and had progressed into G2/M or back to G1. The majority of the IE+ cells in S and G2/M were BrdU−. Only a few cells were IE+ BrdU+, and they resided in G2/M. Multipoint BrdU pulse-labeling revealed that, compared to cells actively synthesizing DNA at the beginning of the infection, a greater percentage of the cells that initiated DNA replication 4 h later could express IE antigens and proceed into S. Synchronization of the cells with aphidicolin also indicated that the blockade to the activation of IE gene expression was established in cells soon after initiation of DNA replication. It appears that a short-lived protein in S-phase cells may be required for IE gene expression, as it is partially restored by treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132.


1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 2004-2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
K P Anderson ◽  
M C Fox ◽  
V Brown-Driver ◽  
M J Martin ◽  
R F Azad

ISIS 2922 is a phosphorothioate oligonucleotide that is complementary to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate-early (IE) RNA and that exhibits potent and specific antiviral activity against CMV in cell culture assays. Specific assay systems were developed to separately characterize the antisense and nonantisense components of the antiviral activity mediated by ISIS 2922. In U373 cells transformed with cDNA encoding the CMV IE 55-kDa (IE55) protein, expression was inhibited at nanomolar concentrations comparable to effective concentrations in antiviral assays. The specificity of inhibition was demonstrated by using control oligonucleotides incorporating progressive base changes to destabilize oligonucleotide-RNA base pairing and by showing a lack of inhibition of the CMV IE72 product expressed from the same promoter. Inhibition of IE55 protein expression correlated with a reduction in mRNA levels consistent with an RNase H-mediated termination event. Studies with virus-infected cells demonstrated that antisense and nonantisense mechanisms contribute to the antiviral activity of ISIS 2922. Base complementarity to target RNA was important for optimal activity in antiviral assays, but base changes affecting parameters other than hybridization affinity also influenced antiviral activity. Sequence-independent inhibition of virus adsorption to host cells by phosphorothioate oligonucleotides was also observed at high concentrations. Therefore, at least three different mechanisms may contribute to the antiviral activity of ISIS 2922 in cell culture: antisense-mediated inhibition of target gene expression; nonantisense, sequence-dependent inhibition of virus replication; and sequence-independent inhibition of virus adsorption to host cells.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1238-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Klucher ◽  
M Sommer ◽  
J T Kadonaga ◽  
D H Spector

To define mechanistically how the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) major immediate-early (IE) proteins induce early-gene transcription, the IE1 72-kDa protein, the IE2 55-kDa protein, and the IE2 86-kDa protein were analyzed for their ability to activate transcription from an HCMV early promoter in vivo and in vitro. In transient-expression assays in U373MG astrocytoma/glioblastoma and HeLa cells, only the IE2 86-kDa protein was able to activate the HCMV early promoter to high levels. In HeLa cells, the IE1 72-kDa protein was able to activate the promoter to a low but detectable level, and the level of promoter activity observed in response to the IE2 86-kDa protein was increased synergistically following cotransfection of the constructs expressing both IE proteins. To examine the interaction of the HCMV IE proteins with the RNA polymerase II transcription machinery, we assayed the ability of Escherichia coli-synthesized proteins to activate the HCMV early promoter in nuclear extracts prepared from U373MG cells, HeLa cells, and Drosophila embryos. The results of the in vitro experiments correlated well with those obtained in vivo. The basal activity of the promoter was minimal in both the HeLa and U373MG extracts but was stimulated 6- to 10-fold by the IE2 86-kDa protein. With a histone H1-deficient extract from Drosophila embryos, the HCMV early promoter was quite active and was stimulated two- to fourfold by the IE2 86-kDa protein. Addition of histone H1 at 1 molecule per 40 to 50 bp of DNA template significantly repressed basal transcription from this promoter. However, the IE2 86-kDa protein, but none of the other IE proteins, was able to counteract the H1-mediated repression and stimulate transcription at least 10- to 20-fold. The promoter specificity of the activation was demonstrated by the inability of the IE2 86-kDa protein to activate the Drosophila Krüppel promoter in either the presence or absence of histone H1. These results suggest that one mechanism of transcription activation by the IE2 86-kDa protein involves antirepression.


1992 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Sinclair ◽  
J. Baillie ◽  
L. A. Bryant ◽  
J. A. Taylor-Wiedeman ◽  
J. G. P. Sissons

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document