Elsevier

Virology

Volume 440, Issue 2, 5 June 2013, Pages 171-181
Virology

Regulation of the varicella-zoster virus ORF3 promoter by cellular and viral factors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2013.02.019Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Abstract

The varicella zoster virus (VZV) immediate early 62 protein (IE62) activates most if not all identified promoters of VZV genes and also some minimum model promoters that contain only a TATA box element. Analysis of the DNA elements that function in IE62 activation of the VZV ORF3 promoter revealed that the 100 nucleotides before the translation start site of the ORF3 gene contains the promoter elements. This promoter lacks any functional TATA box element. Cellular transcription factors Sp1, Sp3 and YY1 bind to the promoter, and mutation of their binding sites inhibited ORF3 gene expression. VZV regulatory proteins, IE63 and ORF29, ORF61 and ORF10 proteins inhibited IE62-mediated activation of this promoter. Mutation of the Sp1/Sp3 binding site in the VZV genome did not alter VZV replication kinetics. This work suggests that Sp family proteins contribute to the activation of VZV promoters by IE62 in the absence of functional TATA box.

Highlights

► We determined the mechanism of ORF3 expression mediated by VZV IE62 protein. ► The ORF3 promoter analysis showed the absence of any functional TATA box. ► The Sp1/Sp3 and YY1 binding sites are required for the ORF3 promoter activation. ► This activation is inhibited by the viral factors ORF10, ORF29, ORF61 and IE63. ► The Sp1/Sp3 site mutant virus has similar growth kinetics to the wild type virus.

Keywords

ORF3 promoter
IE62
VZV
Sp1
Sp3
YY1

Cited by (0)