Characterization of the promoter activity of a poxvirus conserved element

The conserved sequence element (CSE) is a highly conserved 42-bp poxvirus sequence that can function as a poxvirus promoter element. The CSE is composed of 2 repeats, each containing the highly conserved late poxvirus promoter sequence TAAAT. To define the location of the nucleotides critical for promoter function, polymerase chain reaction was carried out using primers that inserted modified versions of the CSE upstream of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), and the constructs were transiently transfected into cells by using GFP levels as a measure of promoter function. The results of this analysis revealed that the second TAAAT sequence, but not the first TAAAT sequence, is critical for promoter function of the CSE. Furthermore, deletion of half of the intervening sequence, i.e., from 10 to 5 nt, increases the promoter strength of the CSE as compared with the wild-type CSE. These results indicate the potential of this novel poxvirus promoter for driving high levels of gene expression.