Transactivation of the simian varicella virus (SVV) open reading frame (ORF) 21 promoter by SVV ORF 62 is upregulated in neuronal cells but downregulated in non-neuronal cells by SVV ORF 63 protein.
Simian varicella virus (SVV) infection in primates closely resembles varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection in humans. SVV ORF 63 has 51.6% homology at the amino acid level to VZV ORF 63. We cloned SVV ORFs 63 and 62, transcribed and translated in vitro, and immunoprecipitated the expected proteins with rabbit polyclonal antibodies. Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that SVV ORF 63 is expressed as a 43-kDa phosphorylated protein in virus-infected cells. In both neuronal and non-neuronal cells, SVV ORF 62 protein alone upregulated the SVV 21 promoter, while SVV ORF 63 protein alone did not have any effect. SVV ORF 62-mediated transactivation of the SVV ORF 21 promoter was upregulated in neuronal cells, but downregulated in non-neuronal cells, by SVV ORF 63 protein. This is the first study in which a varicella protein (ORF 63) expressed during latency has been shown to have a differential effect on a promoter that is also active during latency, in neuronal as compared to non-neuronal cells.
Mahalingam
Ravi
R
Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA. ravi.mahalingam@uchsc.edu
Gilden
Donald H
DH
Wellish
Mary
M
Pugazhenthi
Subbiah
S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008156:Luciferases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000821:virology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D015854:Up-Regulation; D018140:Varicellovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014709:Vero Cells; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C074551:immediate early protein 63, Human herpesvirus 3; D008156:Luciferases