DNA replication is required for abundant expression of a plasmid-borne late US11 gene of herpes simplex virus type 1

Importin α1 is required for nuclear import of herpes simplex virus proteins and capsid assembly in fibroblasts and neurons

Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses which depend on many nuclear functions, and therefore on host transport factors to ensure specific nuclear import of viral and host components. While some import cargoes bind directly to certain transport factors, most recruit importin β1 via importin α. We identified importin α1 in a small targeted siRNA screen to be important for herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) gene expression. Production of infectious virions was delayed in the absence of importin α1, but not in cells lacking importin α3 or importin α4. While nuclear targeting of the incoming capsids, of the HSV-1 transcription activator VP16, and of the viral genomes were not affected, the nuclear import of the HSV-1 proteins ICP4 and ICP0, required for efficient viral transcription, and of ICP8 and pUL42, necessary for DNA replication, were reduced. Furthermore, quantitative electron microscopy showed that fibroblasts lacking importin α1 contained overall fewer nuclear capsids, but an increased proportion of mature nuclear capsids indicating that capsid formation and capsid egress into the cytoplasm were impaired. In neurons, importin α1 was also not required for nuclear targeting of incoming capsids, but for nuclear import of ICP4 and for the formation of nuclear capsid assembly compartments. Our data suggest that importin α1 is specifically required for the nuclear localization of several important HSV1 proteins, capsid assembly, and capsid egress into the cytoplasm, and may become rate limiting in situ upon infection at low multiplicity or in terminally differentiated cells such as neurons.

Nuclear pore complexes are highly selective gateways that penetrate the nuclear envelope for bidirectional trafficking between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. Viral and host cargoes have to engage specific transport factors to achieve active nuclear import and export. Like many human and animal DNA viruses, herpesviruses are critically dependent on many functions of the host cell nucleus. Alphaherpesviruses such as herpes simplex virus (HSV) cause many diseases upon productive infection in epithelial cells, fibroblasts and neurons. Here, we asked which nuclear transport factors of the host cells help HSV-1 to translocate viral components into the nucleus for viral gene expression, nuclear capsid assembly, capsid egress into the cytoplasm, and production of infectious virions. Our data show that HSV-1 requires the nuclear import factor importin α1 for efficient replication and virus assembly in fibroblasts and in mature neurons. To our knowledge this is the first time that a specific importin α isoform is shown to be required for herpesvirus infection. Our study fosters our understanding on how the different but highly homologous importin α isoforms could fulfill specific functions in vivo which are only understood for a very limited number of host and viral cargos.

Herpesvirus Late Gene Expression: A Viral-Specific Pre-initiation Complex Is Key

During their productive cycle, herpesviruses exhibit a strictly regulated temporal cascade of gene expression that can be divided into three general stages: immediate-early (IE), early (E), and late (L). This expression program is the result of a complex interplay between viral and cellular factors at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, as well as structural differences within the promoter architecture for each of the three gene classes. Since the cellular enzyme RNA polymerase II (RNAP-II) is responsible for the transcription of herpesvirus genes, most viral promoters contain DNA motifs that are common with those of cellular genes, although promoter complexity decreases from immediate-early to late genes. Immediate-early and early promoters contain numerous cellular and viral cis-regulating sequences upstream of a TATA box, whereas late promoters differ significantly in that they lack cis-acting sequences upstream of the transcription start site (TSS). Moreover, in the case of the β- and γ-herpesviruses, a TATT box motif is frequently found in the position where the consensus TATA box of eukaryotic promoters usually localizes. The mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of the late viral gene promoters appear to be different between α-herpesviruses and the two other herpesvirus subfamilies (β and γ). In this review, we will compare the mechanisms of late gene transcriptional regulation between HSV-1, for which the viral IE transcription factors – especially ICP4 – play an essential role, and the two other subfamilies of herpesviruses, with a particular emphasis on EBV, which has recently been found to code for its own specific TATT-binding protein.

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 ORF35 is required for efficient lytic replication and latency

Murine gammaherpesvirus (MHV) 68, a natural pathogen of field mice, is related to human gammaherpesviruses, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV; human herpesvirus 4) and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV; human herpesvirus 8). The ORF35 of MHV-68 and its homologues of EBV and KSHV are located in the gene cluster composed of ORF34–ORF38 in which each gene overlaps with adjacent genes. Although MHV-68 ORF35 was reported to be an essential gene, its function during infection is presently unknown. In this study, we show, by analysing ORF35-transfected cells, that three serine residues in the C terminus are responsible for the phosphorylation and that the ORF35 protein forms homo-oligomers via a predicted coiled-coil motif. The ORF35 protein expressed by transfection was preferentially located in the cytoplasm of cells uninfected or infected with MHV-68. The recombinant virus lacking ORF35 (35S virus) exhibited genome replication and expression of lytic proteins comparable to those of the WT virus, but reduced levels of virus production, suggesting that the ORF35 protein acts at the virion assembly and/or egress step. Lytic replication in the lung after intranasal infection and the frequency of ex vivo reactivation from latency after intraperitoneal infection were lower in 35S virus-infected mice than in mice infected with the WT or marker-reverted virus. Our results indicate that ORF35 is not essential for MHV-68 lytic replication, but plays an important role in efficient viral replication and reactivation from latency.

Murine cytomegalovirus protein pM92 is a conserved regulator of viral late gene expression

In this study, we report that murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) protein pM92 regulates viral late gene expression during virus infection. Previously, we have shown that MCMV protein pM79 and its human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) homologue pUL79 are required for late viral gene transcription. Identification of additional factors involved is critical to dissecting the mechanism of this regulation. We show here that pM92 accumulated abundantly at late times of infection in a DNA synthesis-dependent manner and localized to nuclear viral replication compartments. To investigate the role of pM92, we constructed a recombinant virus SMin92, in which pM92 expression was disrupted by an insertional/frameshift mutation. During infection, SMin92 accumulated representative viral immediate-early gene products, early gene products, and viral DNA sufficiently but had severe reduction in the accumulation of late gene products and was thus unable to produce infectious progeny. Coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis revealed an interaction between pM92 and pM79, as well as between their HCMV homologues pUL92 and pUL79. Importantly, we showed that the growth defect of pUL92-deficient HCMV could be rescued in trans by pM92. This study indicates that pM92 is an additional viral regulator of late gene expression, that these regulators (represented by pM92 and pM79) may need to complex with each other for their activity, and that pM92 and pUL92 share a conserved function in CMV infection. pM92 represents a potential new target for therapeutic intervention in CMV disease, and a gateway into studying a largely uncharted viral process that is critical to the viral life cycle.

Murine cytomegalovirus protein pM79 is a key regulator for viral late transcription

Herpesvirus genes are temporally expressed during permissive infections, but how their expression is regulated at late times is poorly understood. Previous studies indicate that the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) gene, UL79, is required for late gene expression. However, the mechanism remains to be fully elucidated, and UL79 homologues in other CMVs have not been studied. Here, we characterized the role of the conserved murine CMV (MCMV) gene M79. We showed that M79 encoded a protein (pM79) which was expressed with early-late kinetics and localized to nuclear viral replication compartments. M79 transcription was significantly decreased in the absence of viral DNA synthesis but markedly stimulated by pM79. To investigate its role, we created the recombinant virus SMin79, in which pM79 expression was disrupted. While marker-rescued virus grew efficiently in fibroblasts, SMin79 failed to produce infectious progeny but was rescued by pM79 expression in trans. During SMin79 infection, representative viral immediate-early and early gene products as well as viral DNA accumulated sufficiently. Formation of viral replication compartments also appeared normal. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that the overall structure of replicating viral DNA was indistinguishable between wild-type and SMin79 infection. Viral tiled array and quantitative PCR analysis revealed that many late transcripts sensitive to a viral DNA synthesis inhibitor (phosphonoacetic acid) were markedly reduced by pM79 mutation. This study indicates that cytomegaloviruses use a conserved mechanism to promote transcription at late stages of infection and that pM79 is a critical regulator for at least a subset of viral DNA synthesis-dependent transcripts.

The herpes simplex virus-1 transactivator infected cell protein-4 drives VEGF-A dependent neovascularization

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) causes lifelong infection affecting between 50 and 90% of the global population. In addition to causing dermal lesions, HSV-1 is a leading cause of blindness resulting from recurrent corneal infection. Corneal disease is characterized by loss of corneal immunologic privilege and extensive neovascularization driven by vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). In the current study, we identify HSV-1 infected cells as the dominant source of VEGF-A during acute infection, and VEGF-A transcription did not require TLR signaling or MAP kinase activation. Rather than being an innate response to the pathogen, VEGF-A transcription was directly activated by the HSV-1 encoded immediate early transcription factor, ICP4. ICP4 bound the proximal human VEGF-A promoter and was sufficient to promote transcription. Transcriptional activation also required cis GC-box elements common to the VEGF-A promoter and HSV-1 early genes. Our results suggest that the neovascularization characteristic of ocular HSV-1 disease is a direct result of HSV-1's major transcriptional regulator, ICP4, and similarities between the VEGF-A promoter and those of HSV-1 early genes.

Herpes simplex virus-type 1 is the leading cause of infectious corneal blindness in the industrialized world. Most of the morbidity associated with the virus is due to the host response to episodic reactivation of latent virus. Corneal immunologic privilege is associated with a number of factors including the absence of blood and lymphatic vessels. Conversely, corneal hem (blood)- and lymph-angiogenesis driven by inflammation correlate with the loss of privilege. Neovascularization is a common phenomenon in HSV-1 keratitis that correlates with poor prognosis. We have previously discovered HSV-1 elicits corneal lymphangiogenesis through a unique mechanism involving vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A independent of that described for other insults including transplantation or bacterial infection. However, the viral-encoded product(s) that elicit host production of VEGF-A is(are) unknown. In this paper, we have identified infected cell protein-4 (ICP4) as the primary virus-encoded product that drives VEGF-A expression. As VEGF-A is involved in driving neovascularization associated with tumor growth and metastasis, proteins that influence transcriptional regulation of VEGF-A may be useful in the development of adjunct therapy for such disparate diseases as cancer and HSV-1 keratitis.

ORF30 and ORF34 are essential for expression of late genes in murine gammaherpesvirus 68

A hallmark of productive infection by DNA viruses is the coupling of viral late gene expression to genome replication. Here we report the identification of open reading frame 30 (ORF30) and ORF34 as viral trans factors crucial for activating late gene transcription following viral DNA replication during lytic infection of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68). The mutant virus lacking either ORF30 or ORF34 underwent normal DNA replication but failed to express viral late gene transcripts, leading to nonproductive infection. In a reporter assay system, ORF30 and ORF34 were required for MHV-68 to activate the viral late gene promoters. Furthermore, studies using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to the viral late promoters during lytic infection was significantly reduced in the absence of ORF30 or ORF34. Together, the results suggest that ORF30 and ORF34 may play an important role in the assembly of the transcription initiation complex at the late gene promoters. Our discovery of the viral mutants that uncouple late gene transcription from DNA replication lays an important foundation to dissect the mechanism of this critical step of gene expression regulation.

A strict-late viral promoter is a strong tumor-specific promoter in the context of an oncolytic herpes simplex virus

Confinement of transgene expression to target cells is highly desirable in gene therapy. Current strategies of transcriptional targeting to tumors usually rely on tissue-specific promoters to control gene expression. However, such promoters generally have much lower activity than the constitutive viral promoters. We have explored an alternative approach, using a strict-late viral promoter (UL38p) in the context of an oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) for tumor-selective gene expression. As with many DNA viruses, the genomic transcription of HSV is a tightly regulated molecular cascade in which early and late phases of gene expression are separated by viral DNA replication. In particular, some of the late transcripts are categorized as strict-late, whose expression depends rigorously on the initiation of viral DNA replication. Our in vitro and in vivo characterization showed that in normal nondividing cells, where the oncolytic HSV has limited ability to replicate, the UL38p has minimal activity. However, in tumor or cycling cells where the virus can fully replicate, transgene expression from UL38p was almost as high as from the cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter. These results suggest that delivery of therapeutic genes driven by UL38p through an oncolytic HSV may be an effective approach to gene therapy for malignant diseases.

Late temporal gene expression from the human cytomegalovirus pp28US (UL99) promoter when integrated into the host cell chromosome

Toward understanding the temporal regulation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) late genes, we studied the regulation of the late gene promoter (pp28US, UL99) when outside the context of the viral genome and its response to the immediate early (IE) proteins. Expression of the luciferase reporter gene, regulated by the pp28US promoter, was synchronous with that of the endogenous viral pp28 gene, independently of whether the reporter was episomal or integrated into the glioblastoma cell line U373MG. Cotransfection of the reporter with expression vectors for each of the three major IE genes, IE72, IE86 and IE55, indicated that only IE86 transactivated the pp28US promoter. However, the magnitude of the promoter activation upon HCMV infection suggested that additional factors are also required for higher promoter activity. The promoter activation was specific to HCMV, as herpes simplex virus type 1 infection did not induce luciferase expression.

On the control of late gene expression in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus-8)

Herpesvirus late genes require viral DNA replication for maximal expression. Although late gene expression appears to require DNA replication in cis in alphaherpesviruses, studies in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) suggest that this cis-requirement might not pertain to the gammaherpesviruses. Based on these findings, a system was created to investigate the elements required for the regulation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV; human herpesvirus-8) late gene expression. The transcript of a classic late gene encoding the viral assembly protein was characterized and reporter genes driven by the assembly protein promoter region were constructed. Unlike the EBV case, expression of a reporter gene under the control of the assembly protein promoter did not display authentic regulation when removed from the context of the viral genome. Although reporter expression rose in cells displaying lytic replication, this expression was not diminished by specific inhibitors of viral DNA synthesis. Minimal core promoters were similarly unable to reproduce late gene regulation. These results suggest that proper KSHV late gene expression is likely to be dependent upon virus lytic replication in cis and indicate that the regulation of KSHV late genes more closely resembles that observed in herpes simplex virus than that described for EBV.

Herpesvirus mRNAs are sorted for export via Crm1-dependent and -independent pathways

Cellular pre-mRNA splicing is inhibited by ICP27, a herpes simplex virus regulatory protein, resulting in the shutoff of host protein synthesis. Here we reveal that ICP27 also mediates the export of some virus RNAs via a Crm1-dependent pathway and present evidence that independent domains are required for these functions. Sorting of some viral mRNAs for nuclear export requires Crm1, while other virus mRNAs are exported via another pathway.

The polyserine tract of herpes simplex virus ICP4 is required for normal viral gene expression and growth in murine trigeminal ganglia

ICP4 of herpes simplex virus (HSV) is essential for productive infection due to its central role in the regulation of HSV transcription. This study identified a region of ICP4 that is not required for viral growth in culture or at the periphery of experimentally inoculated mice but is critical for productive growth in the trigeminal ganglia. This region of ICP4 encompasses amino acids 184 to 198 and contains 13 nearly contiguous serine residues that are highly conserved among the alphaherpesviruses. A mutant in which this region is deleted (DeltaSER) was able to grow on the corneas of mice and be transported back to the trigeminal ganglia. DeltaSER did not grow in the trigeminal ganglia but did express low levels of several immediate-early (ICP4 and ICP27) and early (thymidine kinase [tk] and UL42) genes. It expressed very low levels of the late gC gene and did not appear to replicate DNA. This pattern of gene expression was similar to that observed for a tk mutant, dlsptk. Both DeltaSER and dlsptk expressed higher levels of the latency-associated transcript (LAT) per genome earlier in infected ganglia than did the wild-type virus, KOS. However, infected ganglia from all three viruses accumulated the same level of LAT per genome at 30 days postinfection (during latency). The data suggest that the polyserine tract of ICP4 provides an activity that is required for lytic infection in ganglia to progress to viral DNA synthesis and full lytic gene expression. In the absence of this activity, higher levels of LAT per genome accumulate earlier in infection than with wild-type virus.

Temporal gene regulation of the channel catfish virus (Ictalurid herpesvirus 1)

To identify promoter regions that impart differential temporal regulation of channel catfish virus (CCV) genes, the transcriptional kinetics of an immediate-early gene and prospective early and late genes were characterized. A cDNA clone, designated IE3C, representing a third immediate-early transcript was identified. The 5' end of the IE3C transcript was mapped to nucleotides 15,368 and 131,043 in the terminal repeat regions of the CCV genome. The full length of the transcript represented by the IE3C clone is 1,412 bp, and it most likely codes for the protein specified by open reading frame (ORF) 12. The putative product of ORF12 contains a consensus RING finger metal binding motif (C3HC4 structure). Temporal expression studies, in conjunction with protein synthesis and DNA replication inhibition, demonstrated that the IE3C transcript belongs to an immediate-early kinetic class, the ORF5 transcript is a member of the early kinetic class, and ORF39 and ORF46 are true late-kinetic-class genes. Additionally, we demonstrated that ORF38 transcription overlaps ORF39 and the products presumably share the same poly(A) signal. The 5' ends of the transcripts encoding ORF38, ORF39, and ORF46 were mapped to nucleotides 44,862, 45,254, and 59,644, respectively, and potential transcriptional control elements were located.

Arginine-rich regions succeeding the nuclear localization region of the herpes simplex virus type 1 regulatory protein ICP27 are required for efficient nuclear localization and late gene expression

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate-early protein ICP27 is an essential regulatory protein that localizes to the nuclei of infected cells. The strong nuclear localization signal (NLS) of ICP27 was identified recently and shown to reside in the amino-terminal portion of the polypeptide from residues 110 to 137 (W.E. Mears, V. Lam, and S.A. Rice, J. Virol. 69:935-947, 1995). There are also two arginine-rich regions directly succeeding the NLS. The first of these arginine-rich sequences (residues 141 to 151), together with the NLS, has been shown by Mears et al. to form the nucleolar localization signal. Arginine-rich motifs are common in domains involved in nuclear localization and RNA binding. To analyze the role of the arginine-rich regions in ICP27, we constructed stably transformed cell lines containing ICP27 mutants with deletions of all or parts of the NLS and arginine-rich regions. We also constructed mutants in which these regions were replaced with heterologous NLSs or RNA-binding domains. Characterization of these mutants indicated that the arginine-rich regions were required but not sufficient for wild-type localization of ICP27. More importantly, the NLS and arginine-rich regions were also essential to the function of ICP27. Mutants lacking these sequences were defective in late gene expression during infection even when ICP27 was properly localized to the nucleus by substitution of the NLS from simian virus 40 large T antigen. Further, the defect in late gene expression could not be overcome by replacement with the highly basic RNA-binding domain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat. The deficiency in late gene expression was independent of ICP27's role in stimulating viral DNA replication. In addition, localization of the HSV-1 proteins ICP4, ICP0, and ICP8 was unaffected by ICP27 mutants in this region. These results suggest that the arginine-rich regions are required for efficient nuclear localization and for the regulatory activity of ICP27 involved in viral late gene expression.

The human cytomegalovirus origin of DNA replication (oriLyt) is the critical cis-acting sequence regulating replication-dependent late induction of the viral 1.2-kilobase RNA promoter

Plasmid constructs containing the 1.2-kb RNA promoter from the long terminal repeat region of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) display the early-phase regulation of this promoter but lack the characteristic late induction (E. J. Wade, K. M. Klucher, and D. H. Spector, J. Virol. 66:2407-2417, 1992). To determine if the HCMV origin of replication (oriLyt) was necessary and sufficient for the late induction of the 1.2-kb RNA promoter, we cloned a 9.6-kbp segment of the origin of replication onto the p456 OCAT plasmid containing the 1.2-kb RNA promoter. This plasmid was designated ori456 OCAT. A control construct, which contains all of the same sequences as the ori456 OCAT construct except that a 2.4-kbp segment derived from HCMV EcoRI segment U is inverted in orientation to disrupt the origin function, was designated inv456 OCAT. After electroporation into human fibroblast cells and infection with HCMV 24 h later, ori456 OCAT replicated and showed the same early and late transcription pattern as the authentic viral 1.2-kb RNA. Under similar conditions, the inv456 OCAT neither replicated nor showed late induction. Experiments using plasmids synthesized in bacteria lacking methylation activity demonstrated that the late induction was not dependent on the change in methylation state of the plasmids. Ganciclovir, an inhibitor of the HCMV DNA polymerase, was used to demonstrate the replication dependence of the expression of the virally encoded 1.2-kb RNA, while the nearby early 2.7-kb RNA was unaffected. Ganciclovir also inhibited the late induction of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene from ori456 OCAT, while expression from inv456 OCAT increased. Site-specific mutations in two previously identified important regulatory elements of the 1.2-kb RNA promoter, the AP1-binding site and the CATA site, indicated that these sites continue to contribute to promoter activity at late times but that the replication-dependent late induction acts independently of these sites. Possible mechanisms underlying the late induction are discussed.

The herpes simplex virus regulatory protein ICP27 contributes to the decrease in cellular mRNA levels during infection

We have previously shown that the herpes simplex virus immediate-early regulatory protein ICP27 acts posttranscriptionally to affect mRNA processing (R. M. Sandri-Goldin and G. E. Mendoza, Genes Dev. 6:848-863, 1992). Specifically, in the presence of ICP27, spliced target mRNAs were decreased 5- to 10-fold in transfections with target genes containing a 5' or 3' intron. Here, we have investigated the effect of ICP27 during herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection on accumulation of spliced cellular mRNAs. ICP27 viral mutants have been shown to be defective in host shutoff (W. R. Sacks, C. C. Greene, D. P. Aschman, and P. A. Schaffer, J. Virol. 55:796-805, 1985). Therefore, we examined whether ICP27 could contribute to this complex process by decreasing cellular mRNA levels through its effects on host cell splicing. It was found that in infections with viral mutants defective in ICP27, the accumulated levels of three spliced host mRNAs were higher than those seen with wild-type HSV-1. The differences occurred posttranscriptionally as shown by nuclear runoff transcription assays. The stabilities of the spliced products during infection with wild-type or ICP27 mutant viruses were similar, and unspliced precursor mRNA for a viral spliced gene was detected in infections with wild-type HSV-1 but not in infections in which ICP27 was not expressed. These results suggest that the reduction in cellular mRNA levels and the accumulation of pre-mRNA are related and may be caused by an impairment in host cell splicing. These data further show that ICP27 is required for these effects to occur.

Transcriptional analysis of the region of the herpes simplex virus type 1 genome containing the UL8, UL9, and UL10 genes and identification of a novel delayed-early gene product, OBPC

The region of the UL component of the herpes simplex virus type 1 genome between nucleotides 17,793 and 25,150 includes three open reading frames that code for the protein products of the UL8, UL9, and UL10 genes (D.J. McGeogh, M.A. Dalrymple, A.J. Davison, A. Dolan, M.C. Frame, D. McNab, L.J. Perry, J.E. Scott, and P. Taylor, J. Gen. Virol. 69:1531-1574, 1988). We have mapped and characterized the overlapping transcripts in this region and have found that, in addition to the low-abundance UL8 and UL9 transcripts and the abundant UL10 transcript, at least two additional transcription units, designated UL8.5 and UL9.5, are specified by this region of the genome. The 5' ends of the UL8, UL8.5, and UL9 transcripts were mapped to nucleotides 20,682, 22,351, and 23,381, respectively. The 5' terminus of the UL9.5 transcript has not yet been mapped. The 3' ends of the UL8, UL8.5, UL9, and UL9.5 transcripts are coterminal at nucleotide 18,197. The 5' end of the UL10 mRNA, which is transcribed from the strand opposite that specifying the UL8, UL8.5, UL9, and UL9.5 transcripts, lies within the UL9 open reading frame at nucleotide 22,944, while the 3' terminus was mapped to nucleotide 24,666. Time course studies demonstrated that the UL8 and UL9 transcripts are members of the early kinetic class, the UL8.5 mRNA is a delayed-early transcript, and the UL9.5 and UL10 transcripts belong to the true-late kinetic class. Examination of the nucleotide sequence of the UL8.5 transcript revealed a potential open reading frame that overlaps and is in frame with the C-terminal half of the open reading frame encoding the origin-binding protein (OBP), the product of the UL9 gene. In vitro translation of the UL8.5 transcript demonstrated that it encodes a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 53 kDa. This protein was recognized by antibody directed against the C-terminal region of OBP and has thus been designated OBPC. A protein with an identical apparent molecular mass was also recognized by this antibody in infected-cell lysates, indicating that OBPC is synthesized during viral infection.

Mutational analysis of the ICP4 binding sites in the 5' transcribed noncoding domains of the herpes simplex virus 1 UL 49.5 gamma 2 gene

A previous report (P. Mavromara-Nazos and B. Roizman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:4071-4075, 1989) demonstrated that substitution of sequences of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene, a beta gene, extending from -16 to +51 with sequences extending from -12 to +104 of the gamma 2 UL 49.5 gene in viral recombinant R3820 conferred upon the chimeric gene gamma 2 attributes in the context of the viral genome in a productive infection. The UL49.5 gene sequences extending from -179 to +104 contain four DNA binding sites for the major regulatory protein ICP4. Of these sites, two map between nucleotides +20 and +80 within the sequence which confers gamma 2 regulation upon the chimeric gene. To determine the role of these ICP4 binding sites in conferring the gamma 2 gene attributes, sequences comprising the two ICP4 binding sites were mutagenized and used to reconstruct the R3820 recombinant virus. In addition, a new recombinant virus (R8023) was constructed in which tk sequences extending from -240 to +51 were replaced with wild-type or mutated sequences contained between nucleotides -179 to +104 of the UL 49.5 gene. Vero cells infected with the recombinant viruses in the presence or absence of phosphonoacetate, a specific inhibitor of viral DNA synthesis, were then tested for accumulation of tk RNA by using an RNase protection assay. The results indicate that in the recombinant R3820, a mutation which destroyed one of the two UL49.5 ICP4 DNA binding sites significantly reduced the accumulation of tk RNA at both early and late times after infection. The effect of this mutation was less pronounced in cells infected with the R8023 virus, whose chimeric tk gene contains the two upstream UL49.5 ICP4 binding sites. None of the mutations affected the sensitivity of the chimeric genes to phosphonoacetate. The mutated site appears to be involved in the accumulation of RNA.

Regulation of herpes simplex virus true late gene expression: sequences downstream from the US11 TATA box inhibit expression from an unreplicated template

The true late genes of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) are expressed only after the onset of viral DNA replication. Previous studies demonstrated that late promoters lack elements upstream of the TATA box and suggested that only a subset of TATA elements can function in the context of true late promoters. We determined which structural features of true late promoters are responsible for the stringent requirement for viral DNA replication by inserting a series of simple model constructs into the HSV-1 genome in place of one of the two promoters of the UL24 gene. An oligonucleotide consisting of 19 nucleotides spanning the TATA box of the HSV-1 true late US11 gene drove barely detectable levels of expression; by contrast, the corresponding regions of the Adenovirus type 2 major late promoter and the HSV-1 true late glycoprotein C promoter were much more active. Transcripts driven from all of these minimal TATA box promoters accumulated without viral DNA replication. The activity of the US11 TATA box was stimulated by adding upstream Sp1-binding sites or placing the US11 or rabbit beta-globin cap/leader region (-11 to +39) downstream. The Sp1-TATA and TATA-beta-globin cap/leader constructs remained replication independent, while the TATA-US11 cap/leader promoter displayed true late regulation. These results demonstrate that sequences located within the US11 cap/leader region impose a strict requirement for viral DNA replication on a minimal TATA box promoter.

The regions important for the activator and repressor functions of herpes simplex virus type 1 alpha protein ICP27 map to the C-terminal half of the molecule

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) alpha or immediate-early proteins ICP4 (IE175), ICP0 (IE110), and ICP27 (IE63) are trans-acting proteins which affect HSV-1 gene expression. We previously showed that ICP27 in combination with ICP4 and ICP0 could act as a repressor or an activator in transfection assays, depending on the target gene (R. E. Sekulovich, K. Leary, and R. M. Sandri-Goldin, J. Virol. 62:4510-4522, 1988). To investigate the regions of the ICP27 protein which specify these functions, we constructed a series of in-frame insertion and deletion mutants in the ICP27 gene. These mutants were analyzed in transient expression assays for the ability to repress or to activate two different target genes. The target plasmids used consisted of the promoter regions from the HSV-1 beta or early gene which encodes thymidine kinase and from the beta-gamma or leaky late gene. VP5, which encodes the major capsid protein, each fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Our previous studies showed that induction of pTK-CAT expression by ICP4 and ICP0 was repressed by ICP27, whereas the stimulation of pVP5-CAT expression seen with ICP4 and ICP0 was significantly increased when ICP27 was also added. In this study, a series of transfection assays was performed with each of the ICP27 mutant plasmids in combination with plasmids containing the ICP4 and ICP0 genes with each target. The results of these experiments showed that mutants containing insertions or deletions in the region from amino acids 262 to 406 in the carboxy-terminal half of the protein were unable to stimulate expression of pVP5-CAT but were able to repress induction of pTK-CAT activity by ICP4 and ICP0. Mutants in the carboxy-terminal 78 amino acids lost both activities; that is, these mutants did not show repression of pTK-CAT activity or stimulation of pVP5-CAT activity, whereas mutants in the hydrophilic amino-terminal half of ICP27 were able to perform both functions. These results show that the carboxy-terminal half of ICP27 is important for the activation and repression functions. Furthermore, the carboxy-terminal 62 amino acids are required for the repressor activity, because mutants with this region intact were able to repress. Analysis of the DNA sequence showed that there are a number of cysteine and histidine residues encoded by this region which have some similarity to zinc finger metal-binding regions found in other eucaryotic regulatory proteins. These results suggest that the structural integrity of this region is important for the function of ICP27.

Enhancement of bacteriophage T4 late transcription by components of the T4 DNA replication apparatus

The expression of the late genes in bacteriophage T4 development is closely connected to viral DNA replication. Three T4-encoded DNA polymerase accessory proteins are shown to stimulate transcription at T4 late promoters in an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis-requiring process. The properties of the activation resemble those found for enhancers of eukaryotic transcription. However, the nature of the enhancer of T4 late transcription is novel in that it is a structure--a break in the nontranscribed DNA stand--to which the three replication proteins bind, rather than a sequence. Since the three DNA polymerase accessory proteins are carried on the moving replication fork as part of the replisome, we postulate that viral DNA replication forks act, in vivo, as the mobile enhancers of T4 late gene transcription. Whereas Escherichia coli RNA polymerase bearing the T4 gene 55 protein can selectively recognize T4 late promoters, it is only capable of responding to the transcription-enhancing activity of the three replication proteins on acquiring an additional T4-specific modification.

The herpes simplex virus type 1 alpha protein ICP27 can act as a trans-repressor or a trans-activator in combination with ICP4 and ICP0

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) alpha proteins ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 are trans-acting proteins which affect HSV-1 gene expression. To investigate potential interactions between these alpha products and to determine the specificity of action of the alpha proteins in combination with each other compared with their activities individually, we performed a series of transient-expression assays. In these assays we used plasmids containing the alpha genes encoding ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 either singly or in combination as effectors and HSV-1 genes of different kinetic classes and heterologous genes as targets. The HSV-1 targets consisted of promoter-regulatory domains from alpha (ICP0 and ICP27), beta (thymidine kinase and alkaline exonuclease), beta-gamma (glycoprotein D, glycoprotein B, and VP5), and gamma (glycoprotein C) genes, each fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. The heterologous target genes consisted of the simian virus 40 early promoter with enhancer and the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat promoter and enhancer each fused to the CAT gene. Target promoter activity was measured by the assay of CAT activity in extracts of transfected cells and by Northern (RNA) blot hybridization of CAT mRNA. The results of these experiments showed that ICP4 activated only HSV-1 target genes, whereas ICP0 activated all of the targets and ICP27 had little effect on any of the targets. ICP4 and ICP0 had a synergistic effect when inducing HSV-1 targets, but they did not have this effect on the heterologous targets pSV2-CAT or pRSV-CAT. In fact, lower levels of CAT activity and CAT mRNA were found in the presence of both effectors than with ICP0 alone. Most interestingly, although the effector plasmid containing the ICP27 gene had little effect on its own, two different and marked effects depending on the target were observed when ICP27 was combined with ICP4 or ICP0 or both. A trans-repression of the induction seen with ICP4 and ICP0 was found when ICP27 was present in the transfections with pSV2-CAT, pRSV-CAT, pICP0-CAT, pICP27-CAT, pTK-CAT, pgD-CAT, pgB-CAT, and pgC-CAT. This resulted in CAT activity levels which were similar to or lower than the basal level of expression of the target genes in the absence of effector plasmids. This trans-repression occurred over a wide range of concentrations of input ICP27 plasmid. In contrast to this repressive effect of ICP27, a trans-activation was seen when ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 plasmids were combined in transfections with pAE-CAT and pVP5-CAT as targets. This trans-activation also occurred over a 10-fold range of input ICP27 plasmid. These results suggest that ICP27 can facilitate both down

Activation of the adenovirus 2 protein IX promoter by DNA replication in a transient expression assay

We have studied the effect of template replication on transcriptional activation of the promoters for the adenoviral protein IX and E1a genes using a short-term transient expression assay. DNA replication mediated modulation of the transcriptional activity of these promoters was monitored using plasmids with limited replication capability conferred by the SV40 minimal origin of DNA replication in the monkey kidney cell line, COS M6. Our results indicate a substantial increase in protein IX promoter directed transcription in a dosage-independent manner as a consequence of the DNA replication process. In contrast, the transcriptional activity of the adenovirus 2 E1a promoter was not significantly altered. In addition to this DNA replication-mediated effect, transcription from the protein IX promoter was positively regulated by the adenovirus E1a 13S and E4 gene products but was repressed by the E1a 12S gene product to a limited extent. The evidence suggests that the effect of template replication on the transcriptional activity of plasmid-borne protein IX and E1a gene promoters in this transient expression system closely mimics the situation on the viral chromosome.

The control of herpes simplex virus type-1 late gene transcription: a 'TATA-box'/cap site region is sufficient for fully efficient regulated activity

The transcriptional programme of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is organised into three principle phases; immediate-early (IE), early (E) and late. The appearance of IE gene products provides the switch for E transcription. Abundant expression of late genes requires viral DNA replication. There is some overlap between E and late genes according to their degree of dependence on DNA replication. The pattern of expression of gene US11 is regulated with 'true-late' kinetics (Johnson et al., 1986). In a transient assay system, regulation of a plasmid-borne US11 promoter mimics its viral counterpart, and has a similar dependence on DNA replication for abundant expression. Using plasmids which contain a functional HSV-1 origin of replication (ORIS), we have identified the sequence requirements for the expression of late genes. All DNA sequence elements necessary for fully efficient regulated expression of US11 lie within 31 bp of the RNA cap sites; therefore it appears that a late gene promoter consists only of a proximal 'TATA-box' and cap-site region. We tested this hypothesis by removing the distal upstream region of the gD promoter (which is required for its normal regulation as an early promoter) and linking this truncated promoter to ORIS. This resulted in the conversion of gD promoter regulation to late gene kinetics during virus superinfection. The implications of these results for the mechanisms of HSV gene regulation are discussed.