title: Identification and characterization of the Orf49 protein of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.
abstract: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman's disease. Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common neoplasm among human immunodeficiency virus-positive individuals. Like other herpesviruses, KSHV is able to establish a predominantly latent, life-long infection in its host. The KSHV lytic cycle can be triggered by a number of stimuli that induce the expression of the key lytic switch protein, the replication and transcription activator (RTA) encoded by Orf50. The expression of Rta is necessary and sufficient to trigger the full lytic program resulting in the ordered expression of viral proteins, release of viral progeny, and host cell death. We have characterized an unknown open reading frame, Orf49, which lies adjacent and in the opposite orientation to Orf50. Orf49 is expressed during the KSHV lytic cycle and shows early transcription kinetics. We have mapped the 5' and 3' ends of the unspliced Orf49 transcript, which encodes a 30-kDa protein that is localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Interestingly, we found that Orf49 was able to cooperate with Rta to activate several KSHV lytic promoters containing AP-1 sites. The Orf49-encoded protein was also able to induce transcriptional activation through c-Jun but not the ATF1, ATF2, or CREB transcription factor. We found that Orf49 could induce phosphorylation and activation of the transcription factor c-Jun, the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38. Our data suggest that Orf49 functions to activate the JNK and p38 pathways during the KSHV lytic cycle.
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, CB#7295, University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Emily L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Brian S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Bowser
authors.forename: Gregory K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kenney
authors.forename: Blossom
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Damania
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D019556:COS Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006367:HeLa Cells; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D014764:Viral Proteins; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4