title: Investigation of the multimerization region of the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8) protein K-bZIP: the proposed leucine zipper region encodes a multimerization domain with an unusual structure.
abstract: The K8 gene of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8) shares many functional similarities with the BZLF1 gene of Epstein-Barr virus. The protein products of K8 and BZLF1, K-bZIP (RAP, K8) and Zta (BZLF1, ZEBRA, Z) have both been proposed to be members of the bZIP family of transcription factors, forming multimers via a coiled-coil motif termed a leucine zipper. Substantial evidence supporting this model for Zta is published. Here, we demonstrate that the proposed leucine zipper region of K-bZIP (amino acids 182 to 218) is required for multimer formation but that it does not fold as a coiled coil.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Salama
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Mehairi
authors.forename: Eleanora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cerasoli
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sinclair
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016350:Leucine Zippers / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C063676:BZLF1 protein, Herpesvirus 4, Human; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C118265:K8 protein, Human herpesvirus 8; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014764:Viral Proteins