title: Dimerization of the Epstein-Barr virus ZEBRA protein in the yeast two-hybrid system. Comparison Of a ZEBRA variant with the B95-8 form.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpes virus associated with several human tumors. The EBV protein, ZEBRA, is a transactivator of the basic leucine zipper family (bZip). It binds to specific sequences on DNA and is able to interact with cellular proteins such as p53. The interaction of the ZEBRA protein with its cognate DNA sequences is stable as long as the dimerization domain is functional. Recent work from this laboratory identified a ZEBRA variant (Z206) with a single amino acid change at residue 206. An alanine is substituted for a serine, and this replacement is present in 72% of nasopharyngeal carcinoma from Europe and North Africa. As amino acid 206 lies within the dimerization domain it could be instrumental in interactions with other proteins. The yeast two-hybrid system was used to study ZEBRA-protein interactions. As ZEBRA by itself is a transactivator in yeast, it cannot be used directly in this assay. This paper describes modifications in ZEBRA amino acid sequences, rendering it usable in the yeast two-hybrid assay. We compared the dimerization capacity of the Z206 variant to that of ZEBRA from B95-8 (Z95) and observed that reporter gene activity with Z206 was consistently lower than that of Z95 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, no interaction was found to occur between either form of ZEBRA (Z206 or Z95) and the tumor suppressor, p53 in the yeast two-hybrid system.
authors.affiliation: Vectorologie et Transfert de gènes, UMR 1582, Institut Gustave-Roussy, 39, rue Camille-Desmoulins, 94800, Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martel-Renoir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wesner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joab
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019281:Dimerization; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C063676:BZLF1 protein, Herpesvirus 4, Human; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D014764:Viral Proteins