title: Activities of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) ICP4 genes specifying nonsense peptides.
abstract: Synthetic oligonucleotide linkers containing translational termination codons in all possible reading frames were inserted at various positions in the cloned gene encoding the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate-early regulatory protein, ICP4. It was determined that the amino-terminal 60 percent of the ICP4 gene was sufficient for trans-induction of a thymidine kinase promoter-CAT chimera (pTKCAT) and negative regulation of an ICP4 promoter-CAT chimera (pIE3CAT); however, it was relatively inefficient in complementing an ICP4 deletion mutant. The amino-terminal ninety amino acids do not appear to be required for infectivity as reflected by the replication competence of a mutant virus containing a linker insertion at amino acid 12. The size of the ICP4 molecule expressed from the mutant virus was consistent with translational restart at the next methionine codon corresponding to amino acid 90 of the deduced ICP4 amino acid sequence.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009154:Mutation; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins; C048925:herpes simplex virus, type 1 protein ICP4; D013937:Thymidine Kinase