Random, asynchronous, and asymmetric transcriptional activity of enhancer-flanking major immediate-early genes ie1/3 and ie2 during murine cytomegalovirus latency in the lungs.

ABSTRACT: The lungs are a major organ site of cytomegalovirus (CMV) pathogenesis, latency, and recurrence. Previous work on murine CMV latency has documented a high load and an even distribution of viral genomes in the lungs after the resolution of productive infection. Initiation of the productive cycle requires expression of the ie1/3 transcription unit, which is driven by the immediate-early (IE) promoter P(1/3) and generates IE1 and IE3 transcripts by differential splicing. Latency is molecularly defined by the absence of IE3 transcripts specifying the essential transactivator protein IE3. In contrast, IE1 transcripts were found to be generated focally and randomly, reflecting sporadic P(1/3) activity. Selective generation of IE1 transcripts implies molecular control of latency operating after i

SUBMITTER: Grzimek NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC115894 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature