The E8 domain confers a novel long-distance transcriptional repression activity on the E8-over-cap-E2C protein of high-risk human papillomavirus type31

Infections with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the major risk factor for the development of anogenital cancers. Viral E2 proteins are inv olved in viral DNA replication and regulation of transcription. Repression of the viral P97 promoter by E2 proteins has been implicated in the modulat ion of the immortalization capacity and DNA replication properties of high- risk HPVs. Analysis of the cis and trans requirements for repression of the HPV type 31 (HPV31) P97 promoter, however, revealed striking differences b etween the full-length E2 and the E8<^>E2C fusion protein which were due to conserved residues W6 and K7 of the E8 domain. In contrast to E2, E8<^>E2C completely inhibited the P97 promoter from a single promoter-distal E2 bin ding site. This novel long-distance repression activity of the E8 domain al so enabled E8<^>E2C to inhibit the HPV6a P2 promoter and minimal-promoter c onstructs containing E2 binding sites. Thus, E8<^>E2C may represent the mas ter repressor of viral gene expression during a high-risk HPV infection, an d changes in the activity of E8<^>E2C might contribute to the progression o f high-risk HPV-induced lesions.