Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1991 Feb;65(2):887-96.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.65.2.887-896.1991.

Human cytomegalovirus ie2 negatively regulates alpha gene expression via a short target sequence near the transcription start site

J M Cherrington  1 , E L Khoury, E S Mocarski
Affiliations

Human cytomegalovirus ie2 negatively regulates alpha gene expression via a short target sequence near the transcription start site

J M Cherrington et al. J Virol. 1991 Feb.

Abstract

Repression of human cytomegalovirus alpha (immediate-early) gene expression is under the control of the viral ie2 gene. Here we show that ie2 negatively regulates gene expression directed by the strong cytomegalovirus enhancer via a specific 15-bp target sequence (which we term cis repression signal [crs]). This crs is located between -14 and +1 relative to the transcription start site and will function in an orientation-independent fashion, consistent with repression occurring at the transcriptional level. Repression is dominant over transactivation by ie1 gene products. The crs (5'-CGTTTAGTGAACCGT-3') does not contain previously recognized binding sites for cellular transcription factors, and a precise copy is not found elsewhere in the human cytomegalovirus genome. The position of the signal near the transcription start site appears to be important in function; addition of the crs near the transcription start site of a heterologous promoter, from the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1, conferred cytomegalovirus ie2-dependent repression upon this promoter. Thus, we propose that an ie2 gene product or an induced cellular protein mediates repression by binding to crs. Negative regulation of alpha gene expression may be important during viral replication or latency.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Virol. 1986 Mar;57(3):864-74 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Oct;76(10):5061-5 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Aug;82(16):5265-9 - PubMed
    1. J Virol. 1985 Oct;56(1):135-43 - PubMed
    1. Transfus Med Rev. 1988 Dec;2(4):229-34 - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources