We transiently expressed adenovirus type C Ela proteins in wild-type or mutant form from plasmid vectors which have different combinations of Ela and simian virus 40 enhancer elements and which contain the DNA replication origin of SV40 and can replicate in COS 7 cells. We measured the levels of Ela mRNA encoded by the vectors and the transition regulation properties of the protein products. Three vectors encoded equivalent levels of Ela The protein products of the adenovirus Ela transcription unit activate, in trans, viral and cellular promoters and also have a role in adenoviral immortalization and transformation of primary cells (2,8,17,20,21,29,30,37,39,44,46,51). In a productive infection, the Ela transcription unit, situated between 1.5 and 4.5 map units (m.u.) on the viral genome, is expressed from the onset of infection (31) through the action of multiple enhancer elements which activate transcription of the gene by a cis mechanism (14,15,18,33). Ela then stimulates transcription from all other viral promoters, including the four promoters of the classical early regions, Elb, E2, E3, and E4; the Ela promoter itself (2); and the major late promoter, which dominates viral transcription at late times but is also active with reduced efficiency during the early period (2,20,30,35 (4,7,23,28,29,45,51