R. Baumann et al., CHANGING EPSTEIN-BARR VIRAL ZEBRA PROTEIN INTO A MORE POWERFUL ACTIVATOR ENHANCES ITS CAPACITY TO DISRUPT LATENCY, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Statesof America, 90(10), 1993, pp. 4436-4440
The Epstein-Barr viral transcriptional activator ZEBRA induces express
ion of viral early lytic genes when introduced into cells bearing late
nt Epstein-Barr virus. We show here that a ZEBRA-herpes simplex viral
protein 16 (VP16) fusion protein induces early viral lytic gene expres
sion in Epstein-Barr virus-containing cells more efficiently than does
wild-type ZEBRA. The fusion protein is also a more powerful transcrip
tional activator in these cells, as assayed with reporter constructs.
Our experiments also suggest that ZEBRA manifests a function required
for full activity on certain natural promoters but not on promoters be
aring oligomerized ZEBRA binding sites; this function cannot be provid
ed by VP16.