[Abstract unavailable

Activation of human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) transcription is established through the formation of protein complexes on the viral promoter that are essentially composed of the cellular basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB (or certain other members of the ATF/CREB family), the HTLV-1-encoded transactivator Tax, and the pleiotropic cellular coactivators p300/CBP. HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) is a protein encoded by HTLV-1 that contains a bZIP domain and functions to repress HTLV-1 transcription. HBZ has been shown to repress viral transcription by dimerizing with CREB, which occurs specifically through the bZIP domain in each protein, and preventing CREB from binding to the DNA. However, we previously found that HBZ causes only partial removal of CREB from a chromosomally integrated viral promoter, and more importantly, an HBZ mutant lacking the COOH-terminal bZIP domain retains the ability to repress viral transcription. These results suggest that an additional mechanism contributes to HBZ-mediated repression of HTLV-1 transcription. In this study, we show that HBZ binds directly to the p300 and CBP coactivators. Two LXXLL-like motifs located within the NH 2 -terminal region of HBZ are important for this interaction and specifically mediate binding to the KIX domain of p300/CBP. We provide evidence that this interaction interferes with the ability of Tax to bind p300/CBP and thereby inhibits the association of the coactivators with the viral promoter. Our findings demonstrate that HBZ utilizes a bipartite mechanism to repress viral transcription.Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) 5 is a retrovirus that is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia and a neurodegenerative disorder termed tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (1, 2). Following its integration, the provirus utilizes the cellular RNA polymerase II transcription machinery for replication of the viral genome and expression of viral genes. These processes are dependent on the viral transactivator Tax, which is essential for strong activation of HTLV-1 transcription. Tax alone lacks DNA binding activity and is therefore recruited to the viral promoter as part of a complex with the cellular transcription factor CREB or other members of the activating transcription factor/cyclic AMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding protein (ATF/CREB) family (3-6). These proteins carry a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain that stimulates protein dimerization and subsequent DNA binding. Dimer formation is specifically mediated through the leucine zipper (ZIP) domain, whereas DNA binding involves the basic region of each binding partner directly contacting the DNA. The Tax-CREB complexes associate with three Tax-responsive elements called viral CREs (vCREs) within the viral promoter that encompasses the U3 region of the 5Ј-long terminal repeat of the provirus. Each vCRE contains a central sequence similar to that of a cellular CRE that is recognized by CREB and flanking GC-rich s...

The complex human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) retrovirus encodes several proteins that are unique to the virus within its 3-end region. Among them, the viral transactivator Tax and posttranscriptional regulator Rex are well characterized, and both positively regulate HTLV-1 viral expression. Less is known about the other regulatory proteins encoded in this region of the provirus, including the recently discovered HBZ protein. HBZ has been shown to negatively regulate basal and Tax-dependent HTLV-1 transcription through its ability to interact with specific basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins. In the present study, we found that HBZ reduces HTLV-1 transcription and virion production. We then characterized the interaction between HBZ and the cellular transcription factor CREB. CREB plays a critical role in Tax-mediated HTLV-1 transcription by forming a complex with Tax that binds to viral cyclic AMP-response elements (CREs) located within the viral promoter. We found that HBZ and CREB interact in vivo and directly in vitro, and this interaction occurs through the bZIP domain of each protein. We also found that CREM-Ia and ATF-1, which share significant homology in their bZIP domains with the bZIP domain of CREB, interact with HBZ-bZIP. The interaction between CREB and HBZ prevents CREB binding to the viral CRE elements in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that the reduction in HTLV-1 transcription by HBZ is partly due to the loss of CREB at the promoter. We also found that HBZ displaces CREB from a cellular CRE, suggesting that HBZ may deregulate CREB-dependent cellular gene expression.Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a human retrovirus that is associated with two distinct diseases: adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), an abnormal proliferation of infected CD4 ϩ T lymphocytes, and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy and/or tropical spastic paraparesis, a neurodegenerative disorder (19,48,49). The molecular mechanisms leading to the development of both diseases are unclear, although the viral protein Tax is postulated to play an important role in these processes. Tax functions as a transcription factor and is essential for strong HTLV-1 transcription. Tax activates transcription through three 21-bp repeats that contain imperfect cyclic AMP responsive elements (called viral CREs) situated within the long terminal repeat of the HTLV-1 genome (1,6,14,15,22,27). Tax does not bind DNA alone but interacts with cellular transcription factors from the ATF/CREB family to form complexes that associate with the DNA. Within these complexes, Tax contacts the GC-rich sequences flanking the CRE core (31,37,38,41). The formation of Tax/CREB/DNA complexes is critical for the recruitment of the cellular coactivators CBP/p300 and subsequent high transcriptional activation of the virus (18,21,32,39,58).A number of cellular factors containing basic leucine zipper (bZIP) motifs have been shown to bind the viral CREs in HTLV-1-infected T cells. These factors included the ATF/ CREB family members (ATF-1, ATF-2, CREB, CREB-2, and CRE...

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the causative agent of a fatal malignancy known as adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). One way to address the pathology of the disease lies on conducting research with a molecular approach. In addition to the analysis of ATL-relevant signaling pathways, understanding the regulation of important and relevant transcription factors allows researchers to reach this fundamental objective. HTLV-1 encodes for two oncoproteins, Tax and HTLV-1 basic leucine-zipper factor, which play significant roles in the cellular transformation and the activation of the host’s immune responses. Activating protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor has been linked to cancer and neoplastic transformation ever since the first representative members of the Jun and Fos gene family were cloned and shown to be cellular homologs of viral oncogenes. AP-1 is a dimeric transcription factor composed of proteins belonging to the Jun (c-Jun, JunB, and JunD), Fos (c-Fos, FosB, Fra1, and Fra2), and activating transcription factor protein families. Activation of AP-1 transcription factor family by different stimuli, such as inflammatory cytokines, stress inducers, or pathogens, results in innate and adaptive immunity. AP-1 is also involved in various cellular events including differentiation, proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. Deregulated expression of AP-1 transcription factors is implicated in various lymphomas such as classical Hodgkin lymphomas, anaplastic large cell lymphomas, diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, and adult T-cell leukemia. Here, we review the current thinking behind deregulation of the AP-1 pathway and its contribution to HTLV-induced cellular transformation.

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