scholarly journals Regulation of Viral Intermediate Gene Expression by the Vaccinia Virus B1 Protein Kinase

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 4048-4055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald R. Kovacs ◽  
Nikos Vasilakis ◽  
Bernard Moss

ABSTRACT The B1 gene of vaccinia virus encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase that is expressed early after infection. Under nonpermissive conditions, temperature-sensitive mutants (ts2 andts25) that map to B1 fail to efficiently replicate viral DNA. Our goal was to extend studies on the function of B1 by determining if the kinase is required for intermediate or late gene expression, two events that ordinarily depend on viral DNA replication. First, we established that early viral gene expression occurred at the nonpermissive temperature. By using a transfection procedure that circumvents the viral DNA replication requirement, we found that reporter genes regulated by an intermediate promoter were transcribed only under conditions permissive for expression of active B1. To assay late gene expression, the T7 RNA polymerase gene was inserted into the genome of ts25 to form ts25/T7. A DNA replication-independent late gene transcription system was established by cotransfecting plasmids containing T7 promoter-driven late gene transcription factors and a late promoter reporter gene intots25/T7-infected cells. Late genes, unlike intermediate genes, were expressed at the nonpermissive temperature. Last, we showed that overexpression of B1 stimulated intermediate but inhibited late gene expression in cells infected with wild-type virus.

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 6153-6162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Yu ◽  
Eric B. Carstens

ABSTRACT Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) lef-3 is one of nine genes required for viral DNA replication in transient assays. LEF-3 is predicted to contain several domains related to its functions, including nuclear localization, single-strand DNA binding, oligomerization, interaction with P143 helicase, and interaction with a viral alkaline nuclease. To investigate the essential nature of LEF-3 and the roles it may play during baculovirus DNA replication, a lef-3 null bacmid (bKO-lef3) was constructed in Escherichia coli and characterized in Sf21 cells. The results showed that AcMNPV lef-3 is essential for DNA replication, budded virus production, and late gene expression in vivo. Cells transfected with the lef-3 knockout bacmid produced low levels of early proteins (P143, DNA polymerase, and early GP64) and no late proteins (P47, VP39, or late GP64). To investigate the functional role of domains within the LEF-3 open reading frame in the presence of the whole viral genome, plasmids expressing various LEF-3 truncations were transfected into Sf21 cells together with bKO-lef3 DNA. The results showed that expression of AcMNPV LEF-3 amino acids 1 to 125 was sufficient to stimulate viral DNA replication and to support late gene expression. Expression of Choristoneura fumiferana MNPV lef-3 did not rescue any LEF-3 functions. The construction of a LEF-3 amino acid 1 to 125 rescue bacmid revealed that this region of LEF-3, when expressed in the presence of the rest of the viral genome, stimulated viral DNA replication and late and very late protein expression, as well as budded virus production.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (21) ◽  
pp. 10122-10131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth E. McNamee ◽  
Travis J Taylor ◽  
David M. Knipe

ABSTRACT The d105 dominant-negative mutant form of the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) single-stranded DNA-binding protein, ICP8 (d105 ICP8), inhibits wild-type viral replication, and it blocks both viral DNA replication and late gene transcription, although to different degrees (M. Gao and D. M. Knipe, J. Virol. 65:2666–2675, 1991; Y. M. Chen and D. M. Knipe, Virology 221:281–290, 1996). We demonstrate here that this protein is also capable of preventing the formation of intranuclear prereplicative sites and replication compartments during HSV infection. We defined three patterns of ICP8 localization using indirect immunofluorescence staining of HSV-1-infected cells: large replication compartments, small compartments, and no specific intranuclear localization of ICP8. Cells that form large replication compartments replicate viral DNA and express late genes. Cells that form small replication compartments replicate viral DNA but do not express late genes, while cells without viral replication compartments are incapable of both DNA replication and late gene expression. The d105 ICP8 protein blocks formation of prereplicative sites and large replication compartments in 80% of infected cells and formation of large replication compartments in the remaining 20% of infected cells. The phenotype ofd105 suggests a correlation between formation of large replication compartments and late gene expression and a role for intranuclear rearrangement of viral DNA and bound proteins in activation of late gene transcription. Thus, these results provide evidence for specialized machinery for late gene expression within replication compartments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng Pan ◽  
Tian Han ◽  
Shubing Tang ◽  
Wenjia Xu ◽  
Qunchao Bao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTViral gene expression is tightly regulated during cytomegalovirus (CMV) lytic replication, but the detailed mechanism of late gene transcription remains to be fully understood. Previous studies reported that six viral proteins (named viral transactivation factors [vTFs]) supporting late gene expression were conserved in beta- and gammaherpesviruses but not in alphaherpesviruses. Here, we performed coimmunoprecipitation experiments to elucidate the organization of these six proteins in murine CMV. Our results showed that these proteins formed a complex by both direct and indirect interactions. Specifically, pM91 strongly bound to pM79 even in the absence of other vTFs. Similar to pM79, pM91 exhibited early-late expression kinetics and localized within nuclear viral replication compartments during infection. Functional analysis was also performed using the pM91-deficient virus. Real-time PCR results revealed that abrogation of M91 expression markedly reduced viral late gene expression and progeny virus production without affecting viral DNA synthesis. Using mutagenesis, we found that residues E61, D62, D89, and D96 in pM91 were required for the pM91-pM79 interaction. Disruption of the interaction via E61A/D62A or D89A/D96A double mutation in the context of virus infection inhibited progeny virus production. Our data indicate that pM91 is a component of the viral late gene transcription factor complex and that the pM91-pM79 interaction is essential for viral late gene expression.IMPORTANCECytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading cause of birth defects and causes morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. The regulation of viral late gene transcription is not well elucidated, and understanding of this process benefits the development of novel therapeutics against CMV infection. This study (i) identified that six viral transactivation factors encoded by murine CMV form a complex, (ii) demonstrated that pM91 interacts with pM79 and that pM91 and pM79 colocalize in the nuclear viral replication compartments, (iii) confirmed that pM91 is critical for viral late gene expression but dispensable for viral DNA replication, and (iv) revealed that the pM91-pM79 interaction is required for progeny virus production. These findings give an explanation of how CMV regulates late gene expression and have important implications for the design of antiviral strategies.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 5503-5514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyun Lin ◽  
Gary W. Blissard

ABSTRACT The Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) lef-6 gene was previously shown to be necessary for optimal transcription from an AcMNPV late promoter in transient late expression assays. In the present study, we examined the expression and cellular localization of lef-6 during the AcMNPV infection cycle and generated a lef-6-null virus for studies of the role of lef-6 in the infection cycle. Transcription of lef-6 was detected from 4 to 48 h postinfection, and the LEF-6 protein was identified in dense regions of infected cell nuclei, a finding consistent with its potential role as a late transcription factor. To examine lef-6 in the context of the AcMNPV infection cycle, we deleted the lef-6 gene from an AcMNPV genome propagated as an infectious BACmid in Escherichia coli. Unexpectedly, the resulting AcMNPV lef-6-null BACmid (vAclef6KO) was able to propagate in cell culture, although virus yields were substantially reduced. Thus, the lef-6 gene is not essential for viral replication in Sf9 cells. Two “repair” AcMNPV BACmids (vAclef6KO-REP-P and vAclef6KO-REP-ie1P) were generated by transposition of the lef-6 gene into the polyhedrin locus of the vAclef6KO BACmid. Virus yields from the two repair viruses were similar to those from wild-type AcMNPV or a control (BACmid-derived) virus. The lef-6-null BACmid (vAclef6KO) was further examined to determine whether the deletion of lef-6 affected DNA replication or late gene transcription in the context of an infection. The lef-6 deletion did not appear to affect viral DNA replication. Using Northern blot analysis, we found that although early transcription was apparently unaffected, both late and very late transcription were delayed in cells infected with the lef-6-null BACmid. This phenotype was rescued in viruses containing the lef-6 gene reinserted into the polyhedrin locus. Thus, the lef-6 gene was not essential for either viral DNA replication or late gene transcription, but the absence of lef-6 resulted in a substantial delay in the onset of late transcription. Therefore, lef-6 appears to accelerate the infection cycle of AcMNPV.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adityarup Chakravorty ◽  
Bill Sugden ◽  
Eric C. Johannsen

ABSTRACTThe Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic phase, like those of all herpesviruses, proceeds via an orderly cascade that integrates DNA replication and gene expression. EBV early genes are expressed independently of viral DNA amplification, and several early gene products facilitate DNA amplification. On the other hand, EBV late genes are defined by their dependence on viral DNA replication for expression. Recently, a set of orthologous genes found in beta- and gammaherpesviruses have been determined to encode a viral preinitiation complex (vPIC) that mediates late gene expression. The EBV vPIC requires an origin of lytic replication incis, implying that the vPIC mediates transcription from newly replicated DNA. In agreement with this implication, EBV late gene mRNAs localize to replication factories. Notably, these factories exclude canonical histones. In this review, we compare and contrast the mechanisms and epigenetics of EBV early and late gene expression. We summarize recent findings, propose a model explaining the dependence of EBV late gene expression on lytic DNA amplification, and suggest some directions for future study.


2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 2469-2479 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Satheshkumar ◽  
Luis C. Anton ◽  
Patrick Sanz ◽  
Bernard Moss

ABSTRACT The ubiquitin-proteasome system has a central role in the degradation of intracellular proteins and regulates a variety of functions. Viruses belonging to several different families utilize or modulate the system for their advantage. Here we showed that the proteasome inhibitors MG132 and epoxomicin blocked a postentry step in vaccinia virus (VACV) replication. When proteasome inhibitors were added after virus attachment, early gene expression was prolonged and the expression of intermediate and late genes was almost undetectable. By varying the time of the removal and addition of MG132, the adverse effect of the proteasome inhibitors was narrowly focused on events occurring 2 to 4 h after infection, the time of the onset of viral DNA synthesis. Further analyses confirmed that genome replication was inhibited by both MG132 and epoxomicin, which would account for the effect on intermediate and late gene expression. The virus-induced replication of a transfected plasmid was also inhibited, indicating that the block was not at the step of viral DNA uncoating. UBEI-41, an inhibitor of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, also prevented late gene expression, supporting the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in VACV replication. Neither the overexpression of ubiquitin nor the addition of an autophagy inhibitor was able to counter the inhibitory effects of MG132. Further studies of the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system for VACV replication may provide new insights into virus-host interactions and suggest potential antipoxviral drugs.


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