Repression of Bax Gene Expression by the HTLV-I Tax Protein: Implications for Suppression of Apoptosis in Virally Infected Cells

The human T-cell leukemia virus-encoded oncoprotein Tax is a potent deregulator of cellular gene expression. Here we report that Tax represses transcription of the humanbaxgene, a gene whose protein product accelerates apoptosis. This repression is mediated through a 27-bp sequence in thebaxpromoter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Virology (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 1997-04, Vol.231 (1), p.135-140
Main Authors: Brauweiler, Anne, Garrus, Jennifer E., Reed, John C., Nyborg, Jennifer K.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The human T-cell leukemia virus-encoded oncoprotein Tax is a potent deregulator of cellular gene expression. Here we report that Tax represses transcription of the humanbaxgene, a gene whose protein product accelerates apoptosis. This repression is mediated through a 27-bp sequence in thebaxpromoter that contains a putative basic helix–loop–helix binding site. Deletion of this sequence abolishes Tax-mediated repression ofbax.Repression of thebaxgene may be biologically significant, as we also show that HTLV-I-infected cell lines are resistant to a variety of physical, chemical, and biological stimuli which induce apoptosis in uninfected T-cells. The repression of genes involved in promoting apoptosis, including thebaxgene, may contribute to retroviral survival, and initiate a pathway toward malignant transformation.
ISSN:0042-6822
1096-0341
DOI:10.1006/viro.1997.8509