Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein transactivates the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat through induction of NF-kappa B activity.
The Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein (LMP) is an integral membrane protein that is expressed in cells latently infected with the virus. LMP is believed to play an important role in Epstein-Barr virus transformation and has been shown to induce expression of several cellular proteins. We performed a series of experiments that demonstrated that LMP is an efficient transactivator of expression from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat (HIV-1 LTR). Mutation or deletion of the NF-kappa B elements in the LTR abolished the transactivation, indicating that the LMP effect on HIV expression was due to induction of NF-kappa B activity. Experiments in which the HIV-1 Tat protein was coexpressed in cells together with LMP showed that Tat was able to potentiate the transactivation. Surprisingly, a synergistic effect of the two proteins was observed even in the absence of the recognized target region for Tat (TAR) in the HIV-1 LTR.
Hammarskjöld
M L
ML
Department of Microbiology, State University of New York, Buffalo 14214.
Simurda
M C
MC
D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004357:Drug Synergism; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000494:pharmacology; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat / Q000235:genetics*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus