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Journal of Virology, January 1999, p. 444-452, Vol. 73, No. 1
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Overlapping Signals for Transcription and
Replication at the 3' Terminus of the Vesicular Stomatitis
Virus Genome
Tong
Li and
Asit K.
Pattnaik*
Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136
Received 7 July 1998/Accepted 8 October 1998
Transcription and replication signals within the negative-sense
genomic RNA of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) are located at the 3'
terminus. To identify these signals, we have used a transcription- and
replication-competent minigenome of VSV to generate a series of
deletions spanning the first 47 nucleotides at the 3' terminus of the
VSV genome corresponding to the leader gene. Analysis of these mutants
for their ability to replicate showed that deletion of sequences within
the first 24 nucleotides abrogated or greatly reduced the level of
replication. Deletion of downstream sequences from nucleotides 25 to 47 reduced the level of replication only to 55 to 70% of that of the
parental template. When transcription activity of these templates was
measured, the first 24 nucleotides were also found to be required for
transcription, since deletion of these sequences blocked or
significantly reduced transcription. Downstream sequences from
nucleotides 25 to 47 were necessary for optimal levels of
transcription. Furthermore, replacement of sequences within the 25 to
47 nucleotides with random heterologous nonviral sequences generated
mutant templates that replicated well (65 to 70% of the wild-type
levels) but were transcribed poorly (10 to 15% of the wild-type
levels). These results suggest that the minimal promoter for
transcription and replication could be as small as the first 19 nucleotides and is contained within the 3'-terminal 24 nucleotides of the VSV genome. The sequences from nucleotides 25 to 47 may play a more important role in optimal transcription than in
replication. Our results also show that deletion of sequences within
the leader gene does not influence the site of transcription
reinitiation of the downstream gene.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine, P. O. Box 016960 (R-138), Miami, FL 33136. Phone: (305) 243-6711. Fax: (305) 243-4623. E-mail:
apattnaik{at}mednet.med.miami.edu.
Journal of Virology, January 1999, p. 444-452, Vol. 73, No. 1
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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