Characterizing the interaction between the htlv-1 transactivator tax-1 with transcription elongation factor ell2 and its impact on viral transactivation

Kohrt S, Strobel S, Mann M, Sticht H, Fleckenstein B, Thoma-Kreß A (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Book Volume: 22

Article Number: 13597

Journal Issue: 24

DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413597

Abstract

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-encoded transactivator and oncoprotein Tax-1 is essential for HTLV-1 replication. We recently found that Tax-1 interacts with transcription elongation factor for RNA polymerase II 2, ELL2, which enhances Tax-1-mediated transactivation of the HTLV-1 promotor. Here, we characterize the Tax-1:ELL2 interaction and its impact on viral transactivation by confocal imaging, co-immunoprecipitation, and luciferase assays. We found that Tax-1 and ELL2 not only co-precipitate, but also co-localize in dot-like structures in the nucleus. Tax-1:ELL2 complex formation occurred independently of Tax-1 point mutations, which are crucial for post translational modifications (PTMs) of Tax-1, suggesting that these PTMs are irrelevant for Tax-1:ELL2 interaction. In contrast, Tax-1 deletion mutants lacking either N-terminal (aa 1–37) or C-terminal regions (aa 150–353) of Tax-1 were impaired in interacting with ELL2. Contrary to Tax-1, the related, non-oncogenic Tax-2B from HTLV-2B did not interact with ELL2. Finally, we found that ELL2-R1 (aa 1–353), which carries an RNA polymerase II binding domain, and ELL2-R3 (aa 515–640) are sufficient to interact with Tax-1; however, only ELL2-truncations expressing R1 could enhance Tax-1-mediated transactivation of the HTLV-1 promoter. Together, this study identifies domains in Tax-1 and ELL2 being required for Tax-1:ELL2 complex formation and for viral transactivation.

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APA:

Kohrt, S., Strobel, S., Mann, M., Sticht, H., Fleckenstein, B., & Thoma-Kreß, A. (2021). Characterizing the interaction between the htlv-1 transactivator tax-1 with transcription elongation factor ell2 and its impact on viral transactivation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222413597

MLA:

Kohrt, Stephan, et al. "Characterizing the interaction between the htlv-1 transactivator tax-1 with transcription elongation factor ell2 and its impact on viral transactivation." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22.24 (2021).

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