The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) SM protein enhances pre-mRNA processing of the EBV DNA polymerase transcript.
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA polymerase (pol) mRNA, which contains a noncanonical polyadenylation signal, UAUAAA, is cleaved and polyadenylated inefficiently (S. C. S. Key and J. S. Pagano, Virology 234:147-159, 1997). We postulated that the EBV early proteins SM and M, which appear to act posttranscriptionally and are homologs of herpes simplex virus (HSV) ICP27, might compensate for the inefficient processing of pol pre-mRNA. Here we show that the SM and M proteins interact with each other in vitro. In addition, glutathione S-transferase-SM/M fusion proteins precipitate the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) C1 splicing protein. Further, the SM protein is coimmunoprecipitated from SM-expressing cell extracts with an antibody to the hnRNP A1/A2 proteins, which are splicing and nuclear shuttling proteins. Finally, the amount of processed EBV DNA polymerase mRNA was increased three- to fourfold in a HeLa cell line expressing SM; this increase was not due to enhanced transcription. Thus, inefficient processing of EBV pol RNA by cellular cleavage and polyadenylation factors appears to be compensated for and may be regulated by the early EBV protein, SM, perhaps via RNA 3'-end formation.
Key
S C
SC
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Yoshizaki
T
T
Pagano
J S
JS
D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015751:Genes, pol; D006367:HeLa Cells; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000076245:Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1; D034481:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group A-B; D034482:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group C; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D006801:Humans; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
C439788:C1 HNRNP; C503635:HNRNPC protein, human; D000076245:Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1; D034481:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group A-B; D034482:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group C; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; C090236:SM protein, Human herpesvirus 4; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C439768:hnRNP A2; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase