This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Silla, T. Articles by Ustav, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Silla, T. Articles by Ustav, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, December 2005, p. 15277-15288, Vol. 79, No. 24
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.79.24.15277-15288.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Episomal Maintenance of Plasmids with Hybrid Origins in Mouse Cells

Toomas Silla,¹ Ingrid Hääl,¹ Jelizaveta Geimanen,¹ Kadri Janikson,¹ Aare Abroi,² Ene Ustav,³ and Mart Ustav^1,3*

Department of Microbiology and Virology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Tartu University, 23 Riia St., Tartu 51010, Estonia,¹ Estonian Biocentre, 23 Riia St., Tartu 51010, Estonia,² Department of Biomedical Technology, Institute of Technology, Tartu University, 21 Vanemuise St., Tartu 51010, Estonia³

Received 22 June 2005/ Accepted 29 September 2005

Bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 8 genomes are stably maintained as episomes in dividing host cells during latent infection. The mitotic segregation/partitioning function of these episomes is dependent on single viral protein with specific DNA-binding activity and its multimeric binding sites in the viral genome. In this study we show that, in the presence of all essential viral trans factors, the segregation/partitioning elements from both BPV1 and EBV can provide the stable maintenance function to the mouse polyomavirus (PyV) core origin plasmids but fail to do so in the case of complete PyV origin. Our study is the first which follows BPV1 E2- and minichromosome maintenance element (MME)-dependent stable maintenance function with heterologous replication origins. In mouse fibroblast cell lines expressing PyV large T antigen (LT) and either BPV1 E2 or EBV EBNA1, the long-term episomal replication of plasmids carrying the PyV minimal origin together with the MME or family of repeats (FR) element can be monitored easily for 1 month under nonselective conditions. Our data demonstrate clearly that the PyV LT-dependent replication function and the segregation/partitioning function of the BPV1 or EBV are compatible in certain, but not all, configurations. The quantitative analysis indicates a loss rate of 6% per cell, doubling in the case of MME-dependent plasmids, and 13% in the case of FR-dependent plasmids in nonselective conditions. Our data clearly indicate that maintenance functions from different viruses are principally interexchangeable and can provide a segregation/partitioning function to different heterologous origins in a variety of cells.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Virology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Tartu University, Riia 23 St., Tartu 51010, Estonia. Phone: 372-7-375047. Fax: 372-7-420286. E-mail: ustav{at}ebc.ee.

---

Journal of Virology, December 2005, p. 15277-15288, Vol. 79, No. 24
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.79.24.15277-15288.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Skalsky, R. L., Hu, J., Renne, R. (2007). Analysis of Viral cis Elements Conferring Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Episome Partitioning and Maintenance. J. Virol. 81: 9825-9837 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ilves, I., Maemets, K., Silla, T., Janikson, K., Ustav, M. (2006). Brd4 is involved in multiple processes of the bovine papillomavirus type 1 life cycle.. J. Virol. 80: 3660-3665 [Abstract] [Full Text]