title: Modulation of the long terminal repeat promoter activity of small ruminant lentiviruses by steroids.
abstract: Production and excretion of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) varies with the stage of the host reproductive cycle, suggesting hormonal involvement in this variation. Stress may also affect viral expression. To determine if hormones affect SRLV transcriptional activity, the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) driven by the promoters in the U3-cap region of the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of different strains of SRLV was assessed in cell culture. High concentrations of steroids (progesterone, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone) inhibited expression of GFP driven by SRLV promoters. This effect decreased in a dose-dependent manner with decreasing concentrations of steroids. In some strains, physiological concentrations of cortisol or dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) induced the expression of GFP above the baseline. There was strain variation in sensitivity to hormones, but this differed for different hormones. The presence of deletions and a 43 base repeat in the U3 region upstream of the TATA box of the LTR made strain EV1 less sensitive to DHEA. However, no clear tendencies or patterns were observed when comparing strains of different genotypes and/or subtypes, or those triggering different forms of disease.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: duato@ucm.es.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gomez-Lucia
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra), 31192 Mutilva Baja, Spain.
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanjosé
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra), 31192 Mutilva Baja, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramsés
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reina
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra), 31192 Mutilva Baja, Spain.
authors.forename: Idoia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Glaria
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra), 31192 Mutilva Baja, Spain.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Amorena
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doménech
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011021:Pneumonia, Progressive Interstitial, of Sheep / Q000821:virology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000821:virology; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences; D016182:Visna / Q000821:virology; D014790:Visna-maedi virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Long terminal repeat; Progesterone; Small ruminant lentiviruses