Human Foamy Virus Genome Possesses an Internal, Bel-1-Dependent and Functional Promoter

The human foamy or spumaretrovirus (HSRV) is a complex retrovirus that encodes the three retroviral genes gag, pol, and env and, in addition, at least three bel genes. The HSRV Bel-1 protein was identified as a transcriptional trans-activator. HSRV transcription starts in the 5' long terminal r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1993-08, Vol.90 (15), p.7317-7321
Main Authors: Lochelt, Martin, Muranyi, Walter, Flugel, Rolf M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AIDS/HIV
Base Sequence
Biochemistry
Biological and medical sciences
Cells, Cultured
DNA
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
Enhancer Elements, Genetic
foamy virus
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression Regulation, Viral
Genes
Genes, env
Genes, Viral
Genetics
Genomes
In Vitro Techniques
Messenger RNA
Microbiology
Molecular Sequence Data
Oligodeoxyribonucleotides - chemistry
Plasmids
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Proviruses
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Retroviridae
Retroviridae Proteins - genetics
RNA
RNA, Messenger - genetics
RNA, Viral - genetics
Sequencing
Spumavirus
Spumavirus - genetics
Trans-Activators - genetics
Transcription, Genetic
Transcriptional Activation
Viral Structural Proteins - genetics
Virology
Viruses
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The human foamy or spumaretrovirus (HSRV) is a complex retrovirus that encodes the three retroviral genes gag, pol, and env and, in addition, at least three bel genes. The HSRV Bel-1 protein was identified as a transcriptional trans-activator. HSRV transcription starts in the 5' long terminal repeat at a defined guanine residue. We report here that a second efficiently utilized start site of transcription is contained within a HSRV env DNA sequence upstream of the bel genes. Bel-specific transcripts that initiate at the internal transcriptional start site at nt 9196 were identified in HSRV-infected cells by primer extension and S1 nuclease analysis, and the intragenic promoter was shown to be constitutively activated by Bel-1 in the HSRV provirus. In transient expression assays with indicator gene constructs, expression by the HSRV intragenic promoter/enhancer is Bel-1 dependent. The data provide evidence for an intragenic start site of transcription in the genome of a complex, exogenous human retrovirus and are discussed in terms of a model for regulating spumaretroviral gene expression.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.90.15.7317