Selected elements of herpes simplex virus accessory factor HCF are highly conserved in Caenorhabditis elegans

Liu, Y., Hengartner, M. O., Herr, W. (January 1999) Selected elements of herpes simplex virus accessory factor HCF are highly conserved in Caenorhabditis elegans. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 19 (1). pp. 909-15. ISSN 0270-7306 (Print)

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9858614

Abstract

HCF is a mammalian nuclear protein that undergoes proteolytic processing and is required for cell proliferation. During productive herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, the viral transactivator VP16 associates with HCF to initiate HSV gene transcription. Here, we show that the worm Caenorhabditis elegans possesses a functional homolog of mammalian HCF that can associate with and activate the viral protein VP16. The pattern of sequence conservation, however, is uneven. Sequences required for mammalian HCF processing are not present in C. elegans HCF. Furthermore, not all elements of mammalian HCF that are required for promoting cell proliferation are conserved. Nevertheless, unexpectedly, C. elegans HCF can promote mammalian cell proliferation because a region of HCF that is conserved can promote mammalian cell proliferation better than its human counterpart. These results suggest that HCF possesses a highly conserved role in metazoan cell proliferation which is targeted by VP16 to regulate HSV infection. The precise mechanisms, however, by which HCF functions in mammals and worms appear to differ.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Amino Acid Sequence Animals Base Sequence Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics/ metabolism Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins Cell Division DNA, Helminth Gene Expression Regulation Helminth Proteins/genetics/ metabolism Herpes Simplex Virus Protein Vmw65/ metabolism Host Cell Factor C1 Humans Molecular Sequence Data Proteins/genetics/ metabolism Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. Sequence Homology, Amino Acid Simplexvirus Transcription Factors
Subjects: bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > design > amino acid design
organism description > animal > C elegans
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function > gene expression
organism description > virus > herpes simplex virus
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > transcription factor
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Hengartner lab
CSHL labs > Herr lab
Depositing User: Kathleen Darby
Date: January 1999
Date Deposited: 30 Apr 2014 15:10
Last Modified: 08 May 2014 19:02
PMCID: PMC83948
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/29787

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