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. 1990 Jun;64(6):3082–3086. doi: 10.1128/jvi.64.6.3082-3086.1990

Hepatitis B virus X protein transactivates the long terminal repeats of human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2.

M Levrero 1, C Balsano 1, G Natoli 1, M L Avantaggiati 1, E Elfassi 1
PMCID: PMC249497  PMID: 2335828

Abstract

The X gene product of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been expressed transiently in HepG2 cells, and the 17-kilodalton protein has been detected by Western (immuno-) blot analysis. Cotransfection of the X gene with the long terminal repeat of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 or 2 results in a stimulation of long terminal repeat-directed expression that is higher than the X-induced stimulation of the HBV enhancer linked to either autologous promoter or to the heterologous simian virus 40 promoter. A frameshift mutation abolished this transactivation. In vitro nuclear transcription assays revealed that HBV X acts at the transcriptional level. The carboxy terminus of the HBV X protein does not seem to be necessary for its transactivating activity, as demonstrated by using HBV X protein deletion mutants.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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