title: Identification of a promoter component involved in positioning the 5' termini of simian virus 40 early mRNAs.
abstract: The 5' termini of the principal early mRNAs produced in cells transformed by wild-type simian virus 40 lie 21-25 nucleotides downstream from an A-T-T-T-A-T sequence on the DNA template. The 5' termini of early mRNAs produced by five origin-defective mutants containing deletions downstream from the A-T-T-T-A-T sequence and one viable mutant dl892 with a deletion starting 15 nucleotides upstream from this sequence were determined by a method involving synthesis, separation, and determination of the sequences of DNAs complementary to 5' termini. Mutant dl892 produced early mRNAs with the same principal 5' termini as wild-type virus; the origin-defective mutants produced mRNAs with principal 5' termini shifted downstream by a distance equivalent to the length of the deleted DNA segment. These data suggest that a DNA sequence of 29 nucleotides, which includes the A-T-T-T-A-T sequence, contains a component(s) of a promoter for early transcription. This component functions in positioning the 5' ends of the principal early mRNAs 21-25 nucleotides downstream from the A-T-T-T-A-T sequence and acts independently of these downstream sequences.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005813:Genes, Synthetic; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral