Nucleotides in the polyomavirus enhancer that control viral transcription and DNA replication

The polyomavirus enhancer is required in cis for high-level expression of the viral early region and for replication of the viral genome. We introduced multiple mutations in the enhancer which reduced transcription and DNA replication. Polyomaviruses with these mutant enhancers formed very small plaques in whole mouse embryo cells. Revertants of the viral mutants were isolated and characterized. Reversion occurred by any of the following events: restoration of guanosines at nucleotide (nt) 5134 and nt 5140 within the adenovirus 5 E1A enhancer core AGGAAGTGACT; acquisition of an A----G mutation at nt 5258, which is the same mutation that enables polyomavirus to grow in embryonal carcinoma F9 cells; duplication of mutated sequences between nt 5146 and 5292 (including sequences homologous with immunoglobulin G, simian virus 40, and bovine papillomavirus enhancer elements). Reversion restored both the replicative and transcriptional functions of the viruses. Revertants that acquired the F9 mutation at nt 5258 grew at least 20-fold better than the original mutant in whole mouse embryo cells, but replicated only marginally better than the original mutant in 3T6 cells. Viruses with a reversion of the mutation at nt 5140 replicated equally well in both types of cells. Since individual nucleotides in the polyomavirus enhancer simultaneously altered DNA replication and transcription in specific cell types, it is likely that these processes rely upon a common element, such as an enhancer-binding protein.