CpG-methylation silences the activity of the RNA polymerase III transcribed EBER-1 promoter of Epstein-Barr virus.
CpG-methylation blocks the activity of RNA polymerase II transcribed promoters in most cases. In contrast, the role of DNA methylation in the regulation of RNA polymerase III transcribed promoters is less clarified. There are two untranslated viral RNAs (EBER-1 and EBER-2) in most malignant cells carrying latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genomes. We found that in vitro methylation blocked binding of the cellular proteins c-Myc and ATF to the 5'-region of the EBER-1 gene, and silenced the expression of the EBER-1 and EBER-2 genes, transcribed by RNA polymerase III, in transfected cells.
Banati
Ferenc
F
Microbiological Research Group, National Center for Epidemiology, Pihenö u, Budapest, Hungary.
Koroknai
Anita
A
Salamon
Daniel
D
Takacs
Maria
M
Minarovits-Kormuta
Susanna
S
Wolf
Hans
H
Niller
Hans Helmut
HH
Minarovits
Janos
J
D001483:Base Sequence; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000235:genetics*; D018983:DNA Footprinting; D019175:DNA Methylation; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000378:metabolism; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006367:HeLa Cells; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011485:Protein Binding; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism; D012320:RNA Polymerase III / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
C099537:Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNA 1; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012320:RNA Polymerase III; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I