The human papillomavirus type 31 late 3' untranslated region contains a complex bipartite negative regulatory element.
The papillomavirus life cycle is tightly linked to epithelial cell differentiation. Production of virus capsid proteins is restricted to the most terminally differentiated keratinocytes in the upper layers of the epithelium. However, mRNAs encoding the capsid proteins can be detected in less-differentiated cells, suggesting that late gene expression is controlled posttranscriptionally. Short sequence elements (less than 80 nucleotides in length) that inhibit gene expression in undifferentiated epithelial cells have been identified in the late 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of several papillomaviruses, including the high-risk mucosal type human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16). Here we show that closely related high-risk mucosal type HPV-31 also contains elements that can act to repress gene expression in undifferentiated epithelial cells. However, the HPV-31 negative regulatory element is surprisingly complex, comprising a major inhibitory element of approximately 130 nucleotides upstream of the late polyadenylation site and a minor element of approximately 110 nucleotides mapping downstream. The first 60 nucleotides of the major element have 68% identity to the negative regulatory element of HPV-16, and these elements bind the same cellular proteins, CstF-64, U2AF(65), and HuR. The minor inhibitory element binds some cellular proteins in common with the major inhibitory element, though it also binds certain proteins that do not bind the upstream element.
Cumming
Sarah A
SA
Institute of Virology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G11 5JR, Scotland.
Repellin
Claire E
CE
McPhillips
Maria
M
Radford
Jonathan C
JC
Clements
J Barklie
JB
Graham
Sheila V
SV
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011061:Poly A; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000072668:Splicing Factor U2AF
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1; C098770:ELAVL1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D000072668:Splicing Factor U2AF; C000607494:U2AF2 protein, human; D011061:Poly A