Journal of Virology, February 2000, p. 1061-1068, Vol. 74, No. 3
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer
Center,1 Department of
Medicine,3 and Department of
Microbiology and Immunology,2 University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7295
Received 12 July 1999/Accepted 26 October 1999
Infection by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) generates several types of
latency with different profiles of gene expression but with expression
of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1) in common. The
BamHI Q promoter (Qp) is used for the transcription of
EBNA-1 mRNA in type I latency, which is an EBV infection state
exemplified by Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). However, Qp is inactive in
type III latency, and other promoters (C/Wp) are used for transcription of EBNA-1, which raises the question of how usage of these promoters is
governed. Interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 7 (IRF-7) was identified
first as a negative regulator of Qp. Expression of IRF-7 is associated
with EBV type III latency, where Qp is inactive, but not with type I
latency, raising the possibility that a viral gene product(s) expressed
in type III latency might induce IRF-7 and repress Qp. Here, detailed
analysis of the expression of IRF-7 revealed that it is associated with
the expression of EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1) and that LMP-1
stimulates the expression of IRF-7 in type III latency in which Qp is
inactive. In contrast, LMP-1 is not expressed in type I latency cells
in which Qp is active. LMP-1 represses the constitutive activity of Qp
reporter constructs. Mutational analysis of Qp reporter constructs
revealed that the Qp IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) is
essential for the repression by LMP-1. Furthermore, LMP-1 reduced
EBNA-1 mRNA derived from Qp only in type I cells in which IRF-7 could be induced. Finally, IFN-
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Is Induced by
Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1
, but not IFN-
, repressed endogenous Qp
activity, which is consistent with the ability of IFN-
to induce
IRF-7. Thus, IRF-7 may mediate repression of Qp by LMP-1. The induction
of IRF-7 by LMP-1 may be relevant to the silencing of Qp in EBV type
III latency.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Campus Box
7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. Phone: (919) 966-1183. Fax: (919)
966-9673. E-mail: luzhang{at}med.unc.edu.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| J. Bacteriol. | Mol. Cell. Biol. | Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. |
|---|
| Clin. Vaccine Immunol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |
|---|