title: Identification of a promoter for the latent membrane protein 1 gene of Epstein-Barr virus that is specifically activated in human epithelial cells.
abstract: Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP 1) is one of two Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded proteins that expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Previous studies showed that a 3.5-kb transcript of the LMP 1 gene, in addition to the 2.8-kb transcript, was detected in a B95-8-EBV-containing, nude mice-passaged NPC tumor, C15. This indicated that a transcript was initiated from a region 5' to the putative promoter, ED-L1. We have isolated an EBV variant from a NPC tissue, and this virus strain contained a more pathogenic LMP 1 gene. DNA sequence analysis of the 5'-upstream region showed distinct variations as compared to that of B95-8 strain. To test if the LMP 1 gene of the NPC strain also contained an upstream promoter, we generated a series of deletion plasmids encompassing positions -1,030 to +20 of the LMP 1 promoter and tested for their abilities to drive the expression of the reporter gene in human epithelial cell lines, C-33A and NPC-TW076. We found that the region between -643 and -496 contained a promoter activity that was approximately five-fold higher than the putative promoter, ED-L1. This region between -643 and -496 was designated as ED-L1E. C-33A cells containing the genomic clone pT7(E) or the clone that had deleted a 94-bp ED-L1 sequence (delta94) was used to determine the transcription initiation sites by RNase protection assay. Results showed that a transcription initiation site was located at nucleotide 170,099 ("A") of EBV genome. The transcript was expressed in NPC biopsies and in human primary normal epithelial cells transfected with pT7(E) and delta94, respectively, as examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Furthermore, the ED-L1E was not regulated by the EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1-mediated transcriptional enhancer family of repeats (FR) in C-33A cells. Our results suggested that the ED-L1E was specifically activated in epithelial cells. The biological significance of the selective usage of the ED-L1E promoter was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Basic Sciences, Chang-Gung College of Medicine and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.lastname: ChenML
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Tyan
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D001483:Base Sequence; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000821:virology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000821:virology; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000821:virology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics*; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins