Epstein-Barr Virus Gene Expression in Oral Hairy Leukoplakia

f Infection with the human gammaherpesviruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is associated with several cancers. During lytic replication of herpesviruses, viral genes are expressed in an ordered cascade. However, the mechanism by which late gene expression is regulated has not been well characterized in gammaherpesviruses. In this study, we have investigated the cis element that mediates late gene expression during de novo lytic infection with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68). A reporter system was established and used to assess the activity of viral late gene promoters upon infection with MHV-68. It was found that the viral origin of lytic replication, orilyt, must be on the reporter plasmid to support activation of the late gene promoter. Furthermore, the DNA sequence required for the activation of late gene promoters was mapped to a core element containing a distinct TATT box and its neighboring sequences. The critical nucleotides of the TATT box region were determined by systematic mutagenesis in the reporter system, and the significance of these nucleotides was confirmed in the context of the viral genome. In addition, EBV and KSHV late gene core promoters could be activated by MHV-68 lytic replication, indicating that the mechanisms controlling late gene expression are conserved among gammaherpesviruses. Therefore, our results on MHV-68 establish a solid foundation for mechanistic studies of late gene regulation.

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unconventional Sequence Requirement for Viral Late Gene Core Promoters of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68

Wong-Ho

Davis

et al. 2014

“…Lytic infection is observed at high rates in patients with oral hairy leukoplakia and EBV-positive gastric carcinoma (19,22,29). Elevated levels of EBV lytic antigens are a prognostic risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in regions of endemicity (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Epstein-Barr Virus Immediate-Early Protein Zta Co-Opts Mitochondrial Single-Stranded DNA Binding Protein To Promote Viral and Inhibit Mitochondrial DNA Replication

Wiedmer

Wang

Zhou

et al. 2008

Disruption of cellular metabolic processes and usurpation of host proteins are hallmarks of herpesvirus lytic infection. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic replication is initiated by the immediate-early protein Zta. Zta is a multifunctional DNA binding protein that stimulates viral gene transcription, nucleates a replication complex at the viral origin of lytic replication, and inhibits cell cycle proliferation. To better understand these functions and identify cellular collaborators of Zta, we purified an epitope-tagged version of Zta in cells capable of supporting lytic replication. FLAG-tagged Zta was purified from a nuclear fraction using FLAG antibody immunopurification and peptide elution. Zta-associated proteins were isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by mass spectrometry. The Zta-associated proteins included members of the HSP70 family and various single-stranded DNA and RNA binding proteins. The nuclear replication protein A subunits (RPA70 and RPA32) and the human mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein (mtSSB) were confirmed by Western blotting to be specifically enriched in the FLAG-Zta immunopurified complex. mtSSB coimmunoprecipitated with endogenous Zta during reactivation of EBVpositive Burkitt lymphoma and lymphoblastoid cell lines. Small interfering RNA depletion of mtSSB reduced Zta-induced lytic replication of EBV but had only a modest effect on transcription activation function. A point mutation in the Zta DNA binding domain (C189S), which is known to reduce lytic cycle replication, eliminated mtSSB association with Zta. The predominantly mitochondrial localization of mtSSB was shifted to partly nuclear localization in cells expressing Zta. Mitochondrial DNA synthesis and genome copy number were reduced by Zta-induced EBV lytic replication. We conclude that Zta interaction with mtSSB serves the dual function of facilitating viral and blocking mitochondrial DNA replication.

“…Antibodies against the ORF45 homologue (BKRF4; 217 amino acids) of EBV were found in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient sera (17). One study of EBV gene expression during oral hairy leukoplakia detected the expression of BKRF4 in an oral hairy leukoplakia cDNA library (27). The function of EBV BKRF4 is unknown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Open Reading Frame 45 Plays an Essential Role during the Immediate-Early Phase of Viral Replication

Jia

Chernishof

Bortz

et al. 2005