title: In vivo effects of mutations in woodchuck hepatitis virus enhancer II.
abstract: Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) enhancer II (EnII) is located upstream of the major pregenomic RNA promoter and is thought to play an important role in the insertional activation of the N-myc2 gene during WHV hepatocarcinogenesis. WHV EnII is recognized by at least three host transcription factors: HNF-1, HNF-4, and Oct-1. Here, the roles of these EnII-binding factors in viral transcription and replication have been further examined. In HepG2 cells transiently transfected with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene whose expression is dependent upon EnII, mutations in either the HNF-1 or the HNF-4 site strongly reduced CAT activity, while ablation of the Oct-1 site decreased CAT expression only twofold. Mutations in more than one site completely abolished reporter expression. These same mutations were also tested in an overlength WHV genome for their impact on viral replication and gene expression. In transfected HepG2 cells, lesions in the HNF-1 site inactivated pregenomic RNA expression and viral reverse transcription, with only minimal effects on the expression of other viral mRNAs. By contrast, Oct-1 site lesions had no effect on either viral RNA synthesis or DNA replication, and HNF-4 site lesions produced a modest reduction of pregenomic RNA but had no impact on viral DNA synthesis. Testing of the mutants in susceptible woodchucks revealed that, as expected, viruses with lesions in the HNF-1 site were nearly noninfectious, while mutants with lesions at the Oct-1 site were fully replication competent. HNF-4 site mutants were replication competent but may display reduced levels of replication in the intact animal host. We conclude that (i) EnII is primarily devoted to the regulation of pregenomic RNA in WHV, (ii) HNF-1 is essential for EnII function in vivo, and (iii) HNF-4 plays a demonstrable but adjunctive role in EnII function.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology and Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tennant
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ganem
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D001665:Binding Sites; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005814:Genes, Viral; D017919:Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D051863:Host Cell Factor C1; D006801:Humans; D008392:Marmota; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D050811:Octamer Transcription Factor-1; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497692:HCFC1 protein, human; C496487:HNF1A protein, human; C496495:HNF1B protein, human; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D051863:Host Cell Factor C1; C403128:MLX protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D050811:Octamer Transcription Factor-1; C494165:POU2F1 protein, human; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012322:RNA Precursors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta