Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Virology logoLink to Journal of Virology
. 1985 Oct;56(1):135–143. doi: 10.1128/jvi.56.1.135-143.1985

Regulation of cytomegalovirus gene expression: alpha and beta promoters are trans activated by viral functions in permissive human fibroblasts.

R R Spaete, E S Mocarski
PMCID: PMC252498  PMID: 2993644

Abstract

We have fused immediate (alpha) and delayed (beta) early promoter-regulatory sequences taken from the cytomegalovirus (CMV) genome to Escherichia coli lacZ (beta-galactosidase) as an indicator gene to study regulated expression of these promoters. After transfection of human fibroblast cells with plasmid constructs carrying beta-galactosidase fusions, and subsequent infection with CMV, we have demonstrated that viral trans-acting functions up-regulate the expression of these genes in a temporally authentic manner. The alpha promoter is activated even when de novo protein synthesis is blocked and when UV-inactivated virus is used, suggesting that, as for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a virion structural protein is responsible for its up-regulation. We have found that HSV-1, as well as CMV, is capable of trans activating the CMV alpha promoter. The beta promoter is activated by CMV but is completely unresponsive to HSV-1 infection. The temporal synthesis of the alpha and beta promoters in the transient expression system conforms with their natural regulation during viral replication. The beta-galactosidase fusions we describe provide a most exquisitely sensitive indicator system for the study of cis- and trans-acting viral regulatory functions.

Full text

PDF
135

Selected References

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

  1. Albrecht T., Jeor S. C., Funk F. D., Rapp F. Multiplicity reactivation of human cytomegalovirus inactivated by ultra-violet light. Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med. 1974 Nov;26(5):445–454. doi: 10.1080/09553007414551471. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Banerji J., Rusconi S., Schaffner W. Expression of a beta-globin gene is enhanced by remote SV40 DNA sequences. Cell. 1981 Dec;27(2 Pt 1):299–308. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90413-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Batterson W., Roizman B. Characterization of the herpes simplex virion-associated factor responsible for the induction of alpha genes. J Virol. 1983 May;46(2):371–377. doi: 10.1128/jvi.46.2.371-377.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Benoist C., Chambon P. In vivo sequence requirements of the SV40 early promotor region. Nature. 1981 Mar 26;290(5804):304–310. doi: 10.1038/290304a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Berk A. J., Lee F., Harrison T., Williams J., Sharp P. A. Pre-early adenovirus 5 gene product regulates synthesis of early viral messenger RNAs. Cell. 1979 Aug;17(4):935–944. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90333-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Boshart M., Weber F., Jahn G., Dorsch-Häsler K., Fleckenstein B., Schaffner W. A very strong enhancer is located upstream of an immediate early gene of human cytomegalovirus. Cell. 1985 Jun;41(2):521–530. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(85)80025-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Bradford M. M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem. 1976 May 7;72:248–254. doi: 10.1006/abio.1976.9999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Campbell M. E., Palfreyman J. W., Preston C. M. Identification of herpes simplex virus DNA sequences which encode a trans-acting polypeptide responsible for stimulation of immediate early transcription. J Mol Biol. 1984 Nov 25;180(1):1–19. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90427-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Clements J. B., Watson R. J., Wilkie N. M. Temporal regulation of herpes simplex virus type 1 transcription: location of transcripts on the viral genome. Cell. 1977 Sep;12(1):275–285. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90205-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Costanzo F., Campadelli-Fiume G., Foa-Tomasi L., Cassai E. Evidence that herpes simplex virus DNA is transcribed by cellular RNA polymerase B. J Virol. 1977 Mar;21(3):996–1001. doi: 10.1128/jvi.21.3.996-1001.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. DeMarchi J. M. Post-transcriptional control of human cytomegalovirus gene expression. Virology. 1983 Jan 30;124(2):390–402. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(83)90355-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. DeMarchi J. M., Schmidt C. A., Kaplan A. S. Patterns of transcription of human cytomegalovirus in permissively infected cells. J Virol. 1980 Aug;35(2):277–286. doi: 10.1128/jvi.35.2.277-286.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Demarchi J. M. Human cytomegalovirus DNA: restriction enzyme cleavage maps and map locations for immediate-early, early, and late RNAs. Virology. 1981 Oct 15;114(1):23–38. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(81)90249-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Dixon R. A., Schaffer P. A. Fine-structure mapping and functional analysis of temperature-sensitive mutants in the gene encoding the herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate early protein VP175. J Virol. 1980 Oct;36(1):189–203. doi: 10.1128/jvi.36.1.189-203.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. ElKareh A., Murphy A. J., Fichter T., Efstratiadis A., Silverstein S. "Transactivation" control signals in the promoter of the herpesvirus thymidine kinase gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Feb;82(4):1002–1006. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.4.1002. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Everett R. D., Dunlop M. Trans activation of plasmid-borne promoters by adenovirus and several herpes group viruses. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Aug 10;12(15):5969–5978. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.15.5969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Everett R. D. Trans activation of transcription by herpes virus products: requirement for two HSV-1 immediate-early polypeptides for maximum activity. EMBO J. 1984 Dec 20;3(13):3135–3141. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1984.tb02270.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hall C. V., Jacob P. E., Ringold G. M., Lee F. Expression and regulation of Escherichia coli lacZ gene fusions in mammalian cells. J Mol Appl Genet. 1983;2(1):101–109. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hamer D. H., Walling M. Regulation in vivo of a cloned mammalian gene: cadmium induces the transcription of a mouse metallothionein gene in SV40 vectors. J Mol Appl Genet. 1982;1(4):273–288. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Honess R. W., Roizman B. Regulation of herpesvirus macromolecular synthesis. I. Cascade regulation of the synthesis of three groups of viral proteins. J Virol. 1974 Jul;14(1):8–19. doi: 10.1128/jvi.14.1.8-19.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Honess R. W., Roizman B. Regulation of herpesvirus macromolecular synthesis: sequential transition of polypeptide synthesis requires functional viral polypeptides. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Apr;72(4):1276–1280. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.4.1276. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Jones N., Shenk T. An adenovirus type 5 early gene function regulates expression of other early viral genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Aug;76(8):3665–3669. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.8.3665. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Kristie T. M., Roizman B. Separation of sequences defining basal expression from those conferring alpha gene recognition within the regulatory domains of herpes simplex virus 1 alpha genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jul;81(13):4065–4069. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.13.4065. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Lee F., Hall C. V., Ringold G. M., Dobson D. E., Luh J., Jacob P. E. Functional analysis of the steroid hormone control region of mouse mammary tumor virus. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 May 25;12(10):4191–4206. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.10.4191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mackem S., Roizman B. Differentiation between alpha promoter and regulator regions of herpes simplex virus 1: the functional domains and sequence of a movable alpha regulator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Aug;79(16):4917–4921. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.16.4917. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Mackem S., Roizman B. Regulation of alpha genes of herpes simplex virus: the alpha 27 gene promoter-thymidine kinase chimera is positively regulated in converted L cells. J Virol. 1982 Sep;43(3):1015–1023. doi: 10.1128/jvi.43.3.1015-1023.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Mackem S., Roizman B. Regulation of herpesvirus macromolecular synthesis: transcription-initiation sites and domains of alpha genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Dec;77(12):7122–7126. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.12.7122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Mackem S., Roizman B. Structural features of the herpes simplex virus alpha gene 4, 0, and 27 promoter-regulatory sequences which confer alpha regulation on chimeric thymidine kinase genes. J Virol. 1982 Dec;44(3):939–949. doi: 10.1128/jvi.44.3.939-949.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. McDonough S. H., Spector D. H. Transcription in human fibroblasts permissively infected by human cytomegalovirus strain AD169. Virology. 1983 Feb;125(1):31–46. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(83)90061-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. McDonough S. H., Staprans S. I., Spector D. H. Analysis of the major transcripts encoded by the long repeat of human cytomegalovirus strain AD169. J Virol. 1985 Mar;53(3):711–718. doi: 10.1128/jvi.53.3.711-718.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Mocarski E. S., Pereira L., Michael N. Precise localization of genes on large animal virus genomes: use of lambda gt11 and monoclonal antibodies to map the gene for a cytomegalovirus protein family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Feb;82(4):1266–1270. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.4.1266. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Mocarski E. S., Post L. E., Roizman B. Molecular engineering of the herpes simplex virus genome: insertion of a second L-S junction into the genome causes additional genome inversions. Cell. 1980 Nov;22(1 Pt 1):243–255. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90172-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Nevins J. R. Mechanism of activation of early viral transcription by the adenovirus E1A gene product. Cell. 1981 Oct;26(2 Pt 2):213–220. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90304-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Nielsen D. A., Chou J., MacKrell A. J., Casadaban M. J., Steiner D. F. Expression of a preproinsulin-beta-galactosidase gene fusion in mammalian cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Sep;80(17):5198–5202. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.17.5198. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Norton P. A., Coffin J. M. Bacterial beta-galactosidase as a marker of Rous sarcoma virus gene expression and replication. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Feb;5(2):281–290. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.2.281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Nowak B., Gmeiner A., Sarnow P., Levine A. J., Fleckenstein B. Physical mapping of human cytomegalovirus genes: identification of DNA sequences coding for a virion phosphoprotein of 71 kDa and a viral 65-kDa polypeptide. Virology. 1984 Apr 15;134(1):91–102. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(84)90275-7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. O'Hare P., Hayward G. S. Evidence for a direct role for both the 175,000- and 110,000-molecular-weight immediate-early proteins of herpes simplex virus in the transactivation of delayed-early promoters. J Virol. 1985 Mar;53(3):751–760. doi: 10.1128/jvi.53.3.751-760.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Post L. E., Mackem S., Roizman B. Regulation of alpha genes of herpes simplex virus: expression of chimeric genes produced by fusion of thymidine kinase with alpha gene promoters. Cell. 1981 May;24(2):555–565. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90346-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Preston C. M. Control of herpes simplex virus type 1 mRNA synthesis in cells infected with wild-type virus or the temperature-sensitive mutant tsK. J Virol. 1979 Jan;29(1):275–284. doi: 10.1128/jvi.29.1.275-284.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Silver S., Roizman B. gamma 2-Thymidine kinase chimeras are identically transcribed but regulated a gamma 2 genes in herpes simplex virus genomes and as beta genes in cell genomes. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Mar;5(3):518–528. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.3.518. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Smiley J. R., Swan H., Pater M. M., Pater A., Halpern M. E. Positive control of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene requires upstream DNA sequences. J Virol. 1983 Aug;47(2):301–310. doi: 10.1128/jvi.47.2.301-310.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Spaete R. R., Frenkel N. The herpes simplex virus amplicon: a new eucaryotic defective-virus cloning-amplifying vector. Cell. 1982 Aug;30(1):295–304. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90035-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Spaete R. R., Frenkel N. The herpes simplex virus amplicon: analyses of cis-acting replication functions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Feb;82(3):694–698. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.3.694. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Spaete R. R., Mocarski E. S. The alpha sequence of the cytomegalovirus genome functions as a cleavage/packaging signal for herpes simplex virus defective genomes. J Virol. 1985 Jun;54(3):817–824. doi: 10.1128/jvi.54.3.817-824.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Stenberg R. M., Thomsen D. R., Stinski M. F. Structural analysis of the major immediate early gene of human cytomegalovirus. J Virol. 1984 Jan;49(1):190–199. doi: 10.1128/jvi.49.1.190-199.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Stinski M. F., Roehr T. J. Activation of the major immediate early gene of human cytomegalovirus by cis-acting elements in the promoter-regulatory sequence and by virus-specific trans-acting components. J Virol. 1985 Aug;55(2):431–441. doi: 10.1128/jvi.55.2.431-441.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Stinski M. F., Thomsen D. R., Stenberg R. M., Goldstein L. C. Organization and expression of the immediate early genes of human cytomegalovirus. J Virol. 1983 Apr;46(1):1–14. doi: 10.1128/jvi.46.1.1-14.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Thomsen D. R., Stenberg R. M., Goins W. F., Stinski M. F. Promoter-regulatory region of the major immediate early gene of human cytomegalovirus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Feb;81(3):659–663. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.3.659. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Thomsen D. R., Stinski M. F. Cloning of the human cytomegalovirus genome as endonuclease XbaI fragments. Gene. 1981 Dec;16(1-3):207–216. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(81)90077-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Wathen M. W., Stinski M. F. Temporal patterns of human cytomegalovirus transcription: mapping the viral RNAs synthesized at immediate early, early, and late times after infection. J Virol. 1982 Feb;41(2):462–477. doi: 10.1128/jvi.41.2.462-477.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Wathen M. W., Thomsen D. R., Stinski M. F. Temporal regulation of human cytomegalovirus transcription at immediate early and early times after infection. J Virol. 1981 May;38(2):446–459. doi: 10.1128/jvi.38.2.446-459.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Watson R. J., Clements J. B. A herpes simplex virus type 1 function continuously required for early and late virus RNA synthesis. Nature. 1980 May 29;285(5763):329–330. doi: 10.1038/285329a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Zipser D., Lipsich L., Kwoh J. Mapping functional domains in the promoter region of the herpes thymidine kinase gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Oct;78(10):6276–6280. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.10.6276. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Virology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES