Nuclear targeting of human cytomegalovirus large tegument protein pUL48 is essential for viral growth.

ABSTRACT: We report the identification of a functional nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) large tegument protein pUL48 that is required for nuclear localization in transfected cells and is essential for viral growth. The NLS was mapped to pUL48 amino acid residues 284 to 302. This sequence contains a bipartite NLS comprising two clusters of basic residues (bC1 and bC2) separated by 9 amino acids. Deletion or mutation of bC1 or mutation of bC2 abrogated the nuclear localization of full-length pUL48 in transiently expressing cells, thus strongly implying a bipartite character of the NLS. Nuclear localization could be restored by fusion of a functional NLS together with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to the N terminus of these mutants. In HCMV-infected cell

SUBMITTER: Brock I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3648141 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature