Structure of the infected cell protein 0 gene of canine herpesvirus

The canine herpesvirus infected cell protein 0 (CICP0) gene was sequenced. The CICP0 gene was transcribed as a 1.4 kb mRNA from the end of the unique long region nearby the internal repeat during early phase of productive inf ection of the virus. An open reading frame of the gene encodes a polypeptid e of 333 amino acids. The RING finger domain and acidic transcriptional act ivation domain were found at the N-terminus and within the middle region in the deduced amino acid sequence, respectively, suggesting that the CICP0, like the ICP0 of herpes simplex virus 1, is a transactivating protein.