title: Characterization of a minimal simian virus 40 late promoter: enhancer elements in the 72-base-pair repeat not required.
abstract: A 272-base-pair (bp) portion of the simian virus 40 regulatory region containing the replication origin, Sp1-binding region, and part of the 72-bp direct repeats makes up a minimal late promoter that is able to direct late-direction RNA synthesis in vivo and in vitro. Fourteen linker-scan mutants within this region were characterized. Mutations in the Sp1-binding region decreased late expression both in vivo and in vitro. By contrast, mutations that eliminate genetically defined elements of the early transcriptional enhancer or that prevent binding of the transcription factors AP-1, AP-2, and AP-3 in the 72-bp repeat region had little or no effect on late-direction expression. These results argue that, at least under certain circumstances, the early transcriptional enhancer sequences are not required for simian virus 40 late gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309-0215.
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Dynan
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chervitz
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral