Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Purification of Viral DNA for the Identification of Associated Viral and Cellular Proteins
Published on: August 31, 2017
The EHV-1 UL4 protein that tempers viral gene expression interacts with cellular transcription factors
Yunfei Zhang1, Robert A Charvat1, Seong K Kim1
1Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, USA.
Abstract:
The UL4 gene is conserved within the genome of defective interfering particles of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) that mediate persistent infection. Here, we show that the UL4 protein inhibits EHV-1 reporter gene expression by decreasing the level of transcribed mRNA. The UL4 protein did not bind any gene class of EHV-1 promoters in electromobility or chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, but directly interacted with the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) and the carboxy-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II both in vitro (GST-pulldown assays) and in infected cells (coimmunoprecipitation analyses). Microarray analyses of the expression of the 78 EHV-1 genes revealed that viral late genes important for virion assembly displayed enhanced expression in cells infected with UL4-null virus as compared to wild-type or UL4-restored EHV-1. Quantitative PCR analyses showed that viral DNA replication was not retarded in cells infected with the UL4-null virus as compared to wild-type EHV-1.
Related Concept Videos
Transcription Factors
General Transcription Factors
Transcription Elongation Factors
The transcription elongation is regulated via pausing of RNA polymerase on several occasions during transcription. In bacteria, these halts are necessary because the transcription of DNA into mRNA is coupled to the translation of that mRNA...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Leaky Scanning

