title: Parvovirus H-1 P38 promoter requires the trans-activation region (tar), an SP1 site, and a TATA box for full activity.
abstract: In the parvovirus H-1 P38 promoter, there are sequences identified as a TATA box, an SP1 site, and a trans-activation responsive element (tar). It was previously shown that the parvovirus H-1 nonstructural protein NS1 positively regulates the expression of the P38 promoter for the viral capsid protein gene via the tar. To characterize the tar element further, a series of single-point mutations of the tar was constructed and the mutants were compared to wild-type for the trans-activation of the P38 promoter using a cat reporter gene. Most of the tar mutations had a negative effect on the P38 promoter and some of them reduced activity as much as 70%. However, when several mutants with multiple-point mutations in the tar were tested, no significant additive effect was observed. We examined the function of the SP1 site in the trans-activation of the P38 promoter by replacing the wild-type SP1 sequence with synthetic DNA fragments, OSP1 or 2SP1, containing no SP1 or two SP1 sites respectively, in a P38 construct with a cat reporter gene. The results indicate that P38 expression varies in proportion to the number of SP1 sites, suggesting a role for the SP1 site during trans-activation by NS1. The role of the TATA box on the P38 promoter was also examined by mutagenizing TATA to CACG. The activity of this promoter was reduced to 43%. When a construct mutated at both the SP1 and TATA box sites was tested for its activity, about 22% of the wild-type activity remained, implying that this remaining activity was contributed largely by the tar element. A model is proposed for how the tar element activates the wild-type and SP1-TATA minus promoters in the presence of NS1.
authors.affiliation: Eppley Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rhode
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010321:Parvoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics; D016385:TATA Box / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor