title: Zhangfei: a second cellular protein interacts with herpes simplex virus accessory factor HCF in a manner similar to Luman and VP16.
abstract: Host cell factor (HCF, C1, VCAF or CFF) is a cellular protein that is required for transcription activation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) immediate-early (IE) genes by the virion protein VP16. The biological function of HCF remains unclear. Recently we identified a cellular transcription activator, Luman. As with VP16, the transactivation function of Luman is also regulated by HCF. Here we report a second human protein, Zhangfei (ZF) that interacts with HCF in a fashion similar to Luman and VP16. Although ZF shares no significant sequence homology with Luman, the two proteins have some structural similarities. These include: a basic domain-leucine zipper (bZIP) region, an acidic activation domain and a consensus HCF-binding motif. Unlike Luman, or most other bZIP proteins, ZF by itself did not appear to bind consensus bZIP-binding sites. It was also unable to activate promoters containing these response elements. Although in transient expression assays ectopically expressed ZF was unable to block transactivation by VP16 of a HSV IE promoter, ZF could prevent the expression of several HSV proteins in cells infected with the virus. The ability of ZF to block the synthesis of the HSV IE protein ICP0 relied on its binding to HCF, since a mutant of ZF that was unable to bind HCF was also unable to prevent viral IE protein expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Misra
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017405:Herpes Simplex Virus Protein Vmw65 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051863:Host Cell Factor C1; D006801:Humans; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; C107941:CREB3 protein, human; C411104:CREBZF protein, human; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497692:HCFC1 protein, human; D017405:Herpes Simplex Virus Protein Vmw65; D051863:Host Cell Factor C1; D011506:Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors