Journal of General Virology

Inhibition of transcription-regulating properties of nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of the parvovirus minute virus of mice by a dominant-negative mutant form of NS1

Laurent Deleu, Aurora Pujol, Jürg P. F. Nüesch and Jean Rommelaere

Applied Tumor Virology Programme, Abteilung F0100 and Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U 375, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of minute virus of mice is involved in viral DNA replication, transcriptional regulation and cytotoxic action in the host cell. Viral DNA replication is dependent on the ability of NS1 to form a homo-oligomer. To investigate whether oligomerization is required for NS1 transcriptional activities, a functionally impaired mutant derivative of NS1 that was able to interact with the wild-type (wt) protein and inhibit its activity in a dominant-negative manner was designed. This mutant provided evidence that transactivation of the parvoviral P38 promoter and transinhibition of a heterologous promoter by NS1 were both affected by the co-expression of the wt and the dominant-negative mutant form of NS1. These results indicate that additional functions of NS1, involved in promoter regulation, require oligomer formation.

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© 2001 SGM

This article is now available in the August 2001 print issue of JGV (vol. 82, 1929–1934). The complete issue of the journal may be seen in electronic form on JGV Online.