Transcriptional analysis of the UL1 gene of equine herpesvirus 1: a gene conserved in the genome of defective interfering particles

The early UL3 gene of equine herpesvirus-1 encodes a tegument protein not essential for replication or virulence in the mouse

The UL3 gene of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is retained in the genome of defective interfering particles and encodes a ~33kDa myristylated protein. Further characterization showed that the UL3 gene is trans-activated only by the sole immediate early (IE) protein and encodes an early protein that is dispensable for EHV-1 replication and localizes in the tegument of purified virions. UL3-deleted EHV-1 (vL11ΔUL3) exhibits properties of host cell tropism, plaque size, and growth kinetics similar to those of the parental virus. Expression levels of EHV-1 proteins representative of all three gene classes in vL11ΔUL3-infected cells were identical to those in cells infected with parental virus. Mice intranasally infected with vL11ΔUL3 and parental virus showed no significant difference in mortality or virus lung titers. These findings suggest that the UL3 protein does not play a major role in the biology of EHV-1 in cell culture or virulence in the mouse.

Expression of an equine herpesvirus 1 ICP22/ICP27 hybrid protein encoded by defective interfering particles associated with persistent infection

Defective interfering (DI) particles of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) are capable of mediating persistent infection (S. A. Dauenhauer, R. A. Robinson, and D. J. O'Callaghan, J. Gen. Virol. 60:1-14, 1982; R. A. Robinson, R. B. Vance, and D. J. O'Callaghan, J. Virol. 36:204-219, 1980). Sequence analysis of cloned DI particle DNA revealed that portions of two regulatory genes, ICP22 (IR4) and ICP27 (UL3), are linked in frame to form a unique hybrid open reading frame (ORF). This hybrid ORF, designated as the IR4/UL3 gene, encodes the amino-terminal 196 amino acids of the IR4 protein (ICP22 homolog) and the carboxy-terminal 68 amino acids of the UL3 protein (ICP27 homolog). Portions of DNA sequences encoding these two regulatory proteins, separated by more than 115 kbp in the standard virus genome, were linked presumably by a homologous recombination event between two identical 8-bp sequences. Reverse transcriptase-PCR and S1 nuclease analyses revealed that this unique ORF is transcribed by utilizing the transcription initiation site of ICP22 and the polyadenylation signal of ICP27 in DI particle-enriched infection. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot (immunoblot) analyses with antisera to the ICP22 and ICP27 proteins demonstrated that a 31-kDa hybrid protein was synthesized in the DI particle-enriched infection but not in standard virus infection. This 31-kDa hybrid protein was expressed at the same time as the ICP22 protein in DI particle-enriched infection and migrated at the same location on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as the protein expressed from a cloned IR4/UL3 expression vector. These observations suggested that the unique IR4/UL3 hybrid gene is expressed from the DI particle genome and may play a role in DI particle-mediated persistent infection.

Characterization of the myristylated polypeptide encoded by the UL1 gene that is conserved in the genome of defective interfering particles of equine herpesvirus 1

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1, Kentucky A strain) preparations enriched for defective interfering particles (DIPs) can readily establish persistent infection. The UL1 gene, which is conserved in the genome of DIPs that mediate persistent infection, maps between nucleotides 1418 and 2192 (258 amino acids) from the L (long) terminus. UL1 has no homology with any known gene encoded by herpes simplex virus type 1 but has limited homology to open reading frame 2 of varicella-zoster virus and the "circ" gene of bovine herpesvirus type 1. Previous work showed that the EHV-1 UL1 gene belongs to the early kinetic class and is transcribed as a 1.2-kb polyadenylated mRNA (R. N. Harty, R. R. Yalamanchili, and D. J. O'Callaghan, Virology 183:830-833, 1991). In this report, the UL1 protein was identified and characterized as a 33-kDa polypeptide in EHV-1-infected cells by using rabbit polyclonal antiserum raised against a TrpE-UL1 fusion protein (amino acids 7 to 258 of UL1) synthesized in Escherichia coli. Results from Western blot (immunoblot), immunoprecipitation, indirect immunofluorescence, and biochemical analyses indicated that the UL1 polypeptide (i) is more abundant in cells infected with DIP-enriched virus than in cells infected with standard EHV-1, (ii) is synthesized as early as 3 h postinfection (p.i.) in infection with standard virus or in infection with DIP-enriched virus preparations and increases in abundance up to 12 h p.i., (iii) appears to be associated with the rough endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi apparatus early in infection (3 to 4 h p.i.), while a diffuse cytoplasmic pattern of fluorescence is observed late in infection (7 to 8 h p.i.), (iv) is modified by myristic acid as it contains a consensus N-terminal myristylation site and is readily labeled with [3H]myristic acid, and (v) is associated with mature EHV-1 virions.

Transcriptional and translational analyses of the UL2 gene of equine herpesvirus 1: a homolog of UL55 of herpes simplex virus type 1 that is maintained in the genome of defective interfering particles

Defective interfering particles (DIPs) of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1; Kentucky A strain) mediate persistent infection. DNA sequences at the L terminus, which contain the UL2 gene (homolog of UL55 of herpes simplex virus type 1 and open reading frame 3 of varicella-zoster virus) of standard EHV-1, have been shown to be highly conserved in all clones of the EHV-1 DIP genome. The UL2 mRNA was characterized by S1 nuclease analyses, which mapped the 5' and 3' termini of the 0.9-kb early UL2 mRNA to approximately 26 and 16 nucleotides downstream of a TTTAAA box and polyadenylation signal, respectively. The UL2 open reading frame, present within both the EHV-1 standard and DIP genomes, was inserted into the transcription expression vector pGEM-3Z to yield constructs pGEML2 and pDIL2, respectively. After in vitro transcription and translation, both constructs yielded a comigrating 23-kDa protein, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal antiserum was raised against the UL2 protein by injecting rabbits with a TrpE/UL2 fusion protein expressed from plasmid pATH23L2 in Escherichia coli. The UL2-specific antiserum reacted in Western immunoblot and immunoprecipitation analyses with a 23-kDa polypeptide synthesized in cells infected with standard EHV-1 or DIP-enriched virus. These data also indicated that the UL2 polypeptide was more abundant in DIP-infected cells than in standard EHV-1-infected cells. Results from time course and pulse-chase analyses suggested that the UL2 polypeptide has a rapid turnover rate in DIP-infected cells.

Immediate-early transcription over covalently joined genome ends of bovine herpesvirus 1: the circ gene

Herpesvirus genomes are linear molecules in virions. Prior to replication in host cells, they form circular templates by unknown mechanisms. Examining lytic infection with bovine herpesvirus 1, we observed immediate-early transcription over joined genome ends, which suggested that circles are present at the initial stage of infection. Among the transcripts was a spliced immediate-early RNA (1.5 kb) sharing exon 1 with previously described major immediate-early transcripts from the right genome end and exon 2 with a late transcript located near the left genome end. Exon 2 encodes a putative circ-encoded protein with homology to the varicella-zoster virus open reading frame 2 and equine herpesvirus 1 open reading frame 3 products. The novel features reported here for bovine herpesvirus 1 may constitute a more general property of herpesviruses.

The equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) UL3 gene, an ICP27 homolog, is necessary for full activation of gene expression directed by an EHV-1 late promoter

We have previously reported that the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) XbaI G restriction fragment (nucleotides 1436 to 7943 relative to the left terminus of the EHV-1 genome [Kentucky A strain]) is required in combination with the EHV-1 immediate-early (IE) gene to achieve significant activation of two representative EHV-1 late promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) recombinants in transient expression assays. In this report, we demonstrate that the XbaI G-encoded UL3 gene (an ICP27 homolog) provides a trans-acting factor which acts (in combination with the EHV-1 IE gene product) to increase reporter gene expression directed by an EHV-1 late promoter-CAT recombinant plasmid. We show that cloned copies of UL3 can successfully substitute for the XbaI G fragment in CAT assays and that stop codon insertion within the UL3 open reading frame inhibits the ability of UL3 to activate reporter gene expression in trans.

Identification and transcriptional mapping of genes encoded at the IR/Us junction of equine herpesvirus type 1

Two open reading frames (ORFs) encoded at the inverted repeat unique short (Us) junction of the Short (S) region of the equine herpesvirus type 1 genome were identified by DNA sequencing of a 2876 base pair (bp) genomic segment, and transcripts encoding these ORFs were characterized by Northern blot, S1 nuclease, and primer extension analyses. These studies also established the size of each inverted repeat to be 12,768 nucleotides (nts). The IR6 ORF (816 bp), mapping at nts 12,317-11,502 of the S region, is the last gene completely encoded within each inverted repeat and encodes a predicted 30.1-kDa protein of 272 amino acids, which does not exhibit homology to other alphaherpesvirus proteins. IR6 is expressed as an early transcript of 1.2 kb which is detected initially at 1.5 hr p.i. and up to 12 hr p.i. The transcription initiation and termination sites of IR6 were mapped by primer extension and S1 nuclease analyses to nts 12,465 and 11,408, respectively. The first ORF encoded within the Us segment (909 bp; EUS1), mapping at nts 13,397-12,489, encodes a predicted 33.5-kDa protein of 303 amino acids that exhibits 29% identity to the US2 protein of herpes simplex virus 1. EUS1 is expressed as a 2.3-kb mRNA of the gamma-1 class, as its synthesis begins prior to viral DNA replication at 4 hr p.i. but is retarded by phosphonoacetic acid, an inhibitor of viral DNA replication. The Tci and Tct sites of EUS1 were mapped by S1 nuclease analyses to nts 13,637 and 11,408, respectively. Interestingly, this termination site is also utilized by three late mRNAs of 5.8, 3.8, and 1.7 kb which originate within the Us and overlap the IR6 mRNA encoded in the terminal inverted repeat (TR) of the prototype genomic isomer. EUS1 is 3' coterminal with IR6 in the inverted repeat, whereas, the 5.8, 3.8, and 1.7 kb transcripts are 3' coterminal with IR6 of the TR.

Identification and expression of the UL1 gene product of equine herpesvirus 1

Sequences encoding the UL1 gene of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) are conserved in the genome of EHV-1 defective interfering particles (DIPs) that mediate oncogenic transformation and persistent infection. The UL1 protein was identified by in vitro transcription/translation and hybrid-arrest translation analyses which employed a UL1/pGEM-3Z construct designated pGEML1. SDS-PAGE analyses of in vitro translation products synthesized from UL1-specific RNA revealed that the UL1 ORF encodes a 30 kDa protein which corresponds in size to the 258 amino acid protein predicted by DNA sequence analyses. This result was confirmed by arresting translation of the in vitro transcribed UL1 RNA with an oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to UL1 coding sequences. The UL1 protein is a homolog of the predicted protein encoded by the ORF2 gene of varicella-zoster virus, but UL1 has no homolog in herpes simplex virus type 1. The UL1 protein contains a region conforming to a 'PEST' (Proline, Glutamic acid, Serine, and Threonine) sequence, which is commonly found in proteins with half-lives of less than two hours.

ICP22 homolog of equine herpesvirus 1: expression from early and late promoters

The complete nucleotide sequence of the short region, made up of a unique segment (Us; 6.5 kb) bracketed by a pair of inverted repeat sequences (IR; 12.8 kb each), of the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) genome has been determined recently in our laboratory. Analysis of the IR segment revealed a major open reading frame (ORF) designated IR4. The IR4 ORF exhibits significant homology to the immediate-early gene US1 (ICP22) of herpes simplex virus type 1 and to the ICP22 homologs of varicella-zoster virus (ORF63), pseudorabies virus (RSp40), and equine herpesvirus 4 (ORF4). The IR4 ORF is located entirely within each of the inverted repeat sequences (nucleotides [nt] 7918 to 9327) and has the potential to encode a polypeptide of 469 amino acids (49,890 Da). Within the IR4 ORF are two reiterated sequences: a 7-nt sequence tandemly repeated 17 times and a 25-nt sequence tandemly repeated 13 times. Nucleotide sequence analyses of IR4 also revealed several potential cis-regulatory sequences, two TATA sequences separated by 287 nt, an in-frame translation initiation codon following each TATA sequence, and a single polyadenylation site. To address the nature of the mRNA species encoded by IR4, we used Northern (RNA) blot and S1 nuclease analyses. RNA mapping data revealed that IR4 has two promoters that are regulated differentially during a lytic infection. A 1.4-kb mRNA appears initially at 2 h postinfection and is an early transcript since its synthesis is not affected by the presence of phosphonoacetic acid, an inhibitor of EHV-1 DNA replication. In contrast, a 1.7-kb mRNA appears at later times postinfection and is designated as a gamma-1 transcript, since its synthesis is significantly reduced by phosphonoacetic acid. These IR4-specific mRNAs are 3' coterminal, have unique 5' termini, and would code for in-frame, overlapping, carboxy-coterminal proteins of 293 and 469 amino acids, respectively. Interestingly, the site of homologous recombination to generate the genome of EHV-1 defective interfering particles that initiate persistent infection occurs between nt 3244 and 3251 of UL3 (ICP27 homolog) and nt 9027 and 9034 of IR4 (ICP22 homolog). Thus, this recombination event would generate a unique ORF that would encode a potential protein whose amino end was derived from the N-terminal 193 amino acids of the ICP22 homolog and whose carboxyl end was derived from the C-terminal 68 amino acids of the ICP27 homolog.