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Maize regulatory gene opaque-2 encodes a protein with a "leucine-zipper" motif that binds to zein DNA.

ABSTRACT: The opaque-2 locus (o2) in maize regulates the expression of many members of the zein multigene family of storage proteins. cDNA clones for a wild-type allele of the (o2) locus (O2) were isolated from a maize endosperm cDNA library and sequenced. We found a 258-nucleotide 5' leader sequence containing three short open reading frames followed by a sequence specifying a protein of 437 amino acids. The presumptive amino acid sequence of the protein (O2) specified by the O2 cDNA contains a "leucine-zipper" domain characteristic of some mammalian and fungal transcription activation factors. lacZ-O2 fusion constructs, using nearly the entire coding region of O2 or only a fragment specifying the leucine-zipper domain, were expressed in Escherichia coli. In an in vitro binding assay, the beta-galactosidase-O2 fusion proteins bound to two specific regions on the 5' side of the coding sequence in a zein genomic clone. This suggests that the O2 protein affects zein transcription through direct interaction with one or more zein promoter elements.

SUBMITTER: Schmidt RJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC53196 | biostudies-other | 1990 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Maize regulatory gene opaque-2 encodes a protein with a "leucine-zipper" motif that binds to zein DNA.

Schmidt R J RJ Burr F A FA Aukerman M J MJ Burr B B

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 19900101 1

The opaque-2 locus (o2) in maize regulates the expression of many members of the zein multigene family of storage proteins. cDNA clones for a wild-type allele of the (o2) locus (O2) were isolated from a maize endosperm cDNA library and sequenced. We found a 258-nucleotide 5' leader sequence containing three short open reading frames followed by a sequence specifying a protein of 437 amino acids. The presumptive amino acid sequence of the protein (O2) specified by the O2 cDNA contains a "leucine- ...[more]

PMID: 2296602

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Project description:Productive viral infection often depends on the manipulation of the cytoskeleton. Herpesviruses, including rhesus monkey rhadinovirus (RRV) and its close homolog, the oncogenic human gammaherpesvirus Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8), exploit microtubule (MT)-based retrograde transport to deliver their genomes to the nucleus. Subsequently, during the lytic phase of the life cycle, the maturing viral particles undergo orchestrated translocation to specialized regions within the cytoplasm, leading to tegumentation, secondary envelopment, and then egress. As a result, we hypothesized that RRV might induce changes in the cytoskeleton at both early and late stages of infection. Using confocal imaging, we found that RRV infection led to the thickening and acetylation of MTs emanating from the MT-organizing center (MTOC) shortly after viral entry and more pronounced and diffuse MT reorganization during peak stages of lytic gene expression and virion production. We subsequently identified open reading frame 52 (ORF52), a multifunctional and abundant tegument protein, as being the only virally encoded component responsible for these cytoskeletal changes. Mutational and modeling analyses indicated that an evolutionarily conserved, truncated leucine zipper motif near the N terminus as well as a strictly conserved arginine residue toward the C terminus of ORF52 play critical roles in its ability to rearrange the architecture of the MT cytoskeleton. Taken together, our findings combined with data from previous studies describing diverse roles for ORF52 suggest that it likely binds to different cellular components, thereby allowing context-dependent modulation of function.IMPORTANCE A thorough understanding of the processes governing viral infection includes knowledge of how viruses manipulate their intracellular milieu, including the cytoskeleton. Altering the dynamics of actin or MT polymerization, for example, is a common strategy employed by viruses to ensure efficient entry, maturation, and egress as well as the avoidance of antiviral defenses through the sequestration of key cellular factors. We found that infection with RRV, a homolog of the human pathogen KSHV, led to perinuclear wrapping by acetylated MT bundles and identified ORF52 as the viral protein underlying these changes. Remarkably, incoming virions were able to supply sufficient ORF52 to induce MT thickening and acetylation near the MTOC, potentially aiding in the delivery viral genomes to the nucleus. Although the function of MT alterations during late stages of infection requires further study, ORF52 shares functional and structural similarities with alphaherpesvirus VP22, underscoring the evolutionary importance of MT cytoskeletal manipulations for this virus family.

Dataset Information

Maize regulatory gene opaque-2 encodes a protein with a "leucine-zipper" motif that binds to zein DNA.

Publications

Maize regulatory gene opaque-2 encodes a protein with a "leucine-zipper" motif that binds to zein DNA.

Similar Datasets

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