Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 3C is a powerful repressor of transcription when tethered to DNA

The expression of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 3C (EBNA3C) is essential for the activation and immortalization of human B lymphocytes by EBV. EBNA3C consists of 992 amino acids and includes a potential bZIP motif and regions rich in acidic, proline, and glutamine residues. Thus, EBNA3C resembles several trans regulators of gene expression. It has recently been shown that a fragment of EBNA3C can activate reporter gene expression when fused to the DNA-binding domain of GAL4 (D. Marshall and C. Sample, J. Virol. 69:3624-3630,1995). Although EBNA3C binds DNA, a specific site for EBNA3C binding has not been identified; to test the ability of full-length EBNA3C to regulate transcription, EBNA3C (amino acids 11 to 992) was fused to the DNA-binding domain of GAL4. We show that this fusion protein does not transactivate but rather is a potent repressor of reporter gene expression. Repression is dependent on the dose of GAL4-EBNA3C and on the presence of GAL4-binding sites within reporter plasmids. Repression is not restricted to B cells nor is it species or promoter specific. Repression is independent of the location of the GAL4-binding sites relative to the transcription start site. A fragment of EBNA3C (amino acids 280 to 525) which represses expression in a manner which is nearly identical to that of the full-length protein has been identified; this fragment is rich in acidic and proline residues. A second, less potent repressor region located C terminal to amino acids 280 to 525 has also been identified; this domain is rich in proline and glutamine residues. We also show binding of EBNA3C, in vitro, to the TATA-binding protein component of TFIID, and this suggests a mechanism by which EBNA3C may communicate with the basal transcription complex.