The adenovirus L4-22K protein regulates transcription and RNA splicing via a sequence-specific single-stranded RNA binding

Journal article

The adenovirus L4-22K protein both activates and suppresses transcription from the adenovirus major late promoter (MLP) by binding to DNA elements located downstream of the MLP transcriptional start site: the so-called DE element (positive) and the R1 region (negative). Here we show that L4-22K preferentially binds to the RNA form of the R1 region, both to the double-stranded RNA and the single-stranded RNA of the same polarity as the nascent MLP transcript. Further, L4-22K binds to a 5΄-CAAA-3΄ motif in the single-stranded RNA, which is identical to the sequence motif characterized for L4-22K DNA binding. L4-22K binding to single-stranded RNA results in an enhancement of U1 snRNA recruitment to the major late first leader 5΄ splice site. This increase in U1 snRNA binding results in a suppression of MLP transcription and a concurrent stimulation of major late first intron splicing.

Authors: Lan, S; Kamel, W; Punga, T; Akusjärvi, G

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Nucleic Acids Research
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 1731-1742
• Publication date: 2016-11-28
• Acceptance date: 2016-11-11
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1145
• EISSN: 1362-4962
• ISSN: 0305-1048
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR