Exploitation of the Mediator complex by viruses
Joel Rovnak, Sandra L. Quackenbush
Abstract
Just as biophysicists were identifying the component proteins of functional RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) complexes, virologists were identifying viral proteins that control it with peculiar efficiency Purified transcription components phosphorylate the RNAPII carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) to initiate transcription, and this is enhanced by viral transactivators. In this way, viral proteins with their potent transcription activation domains (TADs) served as powerful tools for the characterization of DNA binding domains and TAD structures, e.g., the "acidic activator" (an acidic amphipathic alpha helix) and in the identification of host proteins that control transcription. TAU : PleasecheckwhethertheeditstothesentenceTheherpessimplexvirusHSV he herpes simplex virus (HSV) transactivator, virion protein 16 (VP16, -TIF, and Vmw65), was particularly valuable in transcription assays