title: Ets-2 Repressor Factor (ERF) mediates repression of the human cytomegalovirus major immediate-early promoter in undifferentiated non-permissive cells.
abstract: The repression of human cytomegalovirus immediate-early (IE) lytic gene expression is crucial for the maintenance of the latent viral state. By using conditionally permissive cell lines, which provide a good model for the differentiation state-dependent repression of IE gene expression, we have identified several cellular factors that bind to the major immediate-early promoter (MIEP) and whose expression is down-regulated after differentiation to a permissive phenotype. Here we show that the cellular protein Ets-2 Repressor Factor (ERF) physically interacts with the MIEP and represses MIEP activity in undifferentiated non-permissive T2 embryonal carcinoma cells. This factor binds to the dyad element and the 21 bp repeats within the MIEP - regions known to be important for the negative regulation of MIEP activity. Finally, we show that following differentiation to a permissive phenotype ERF's repressive effects are severely abrogated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, PO Box 157, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, PO Box 157, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mendelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, PO Box 157, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinclair
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D050787:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-2; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D018243:Teratocarcinoma; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D017735:Virus Latency
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C107465:ERF protein, human; C494069:ETS2 protein, human; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D050787:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-2; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors