Poxvirus Gene Expression

Moss, Bernard

Abstract

Poxviruses encode enzymes and factors needed for transcription and replication of their genomes within the cytoplasm of infected cells. Vaccinia virus, the prototypic member of the poxvirus family, provides a unique system for combining biochemical and genetic approaches for investigating mechanisms of gene regulation and mRNA biosynthesis. Studies with vaccinia virus indicated that the genes are divided into three temporal classes - early, intermediate and late. Each gene class has a consensus DNA promoter sequence and corresponding transcription factors that interact with the virus-encoded multisubunit RNA polymerase. The transcription system for early genes is packaged within the infectious virus particle during its assembly, whereas the factors for intermediate and late gene transcription are synthesized successively after infection.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Type: Intramural Research (Z01)
• Project #: 1Z01AI000307-27
• Application #: 7732434
• Support Year: 27
• Fiscal Year: 2008
• Total Cost: $739,953

Institution

• Name: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Country: United States

Publications

De Silva, Frank S; Paran, Nir; Moss, Bernard (2009) Products and substrate/template usage of vaccinia virus DNA primase. Virology 383:136-41

Katsafanas, George C; Moss, Bernard (2007) Colocalization of transcription and translation within cytoplasmic poxvirus factories coordinates viral expression and subjugates host functions. Cell Host Microbe 2:221-8

Parrish, Susan; Moss, Bernard (2007) Characterization of a second vaccinia virus mRNA-decapping enzyme conserved in poxviruses. J Virol 81:12973-8

Hebben, Matthias; Brants, Jan; Birck, Catherine et al. (2007) High level protein expression in mammalian cells using a safe viral vector: modified vaccinia virus Ankara. Protein Expr Purif 56:269-78

Parrish, Susan; Resch, Wolfgang; Moss, Bernard (2007) Vaccinia virus D10 protein has mRNA decapping activity, providing a mechanism for control of host and viral gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:2139-44

Garcia, Alonzo D; Otero, Joel; Lebowitz, Jacob et al. (2006) Quaternary structure and cleavage specificity of a poxvirus holliday junction resolvase. J Biol Chem 281:11618-26

Parrish, Susan; Moss, Bernard (2006) Characterization of a vaccinia virus mutant with a deletion of the D10R gene encoding a putative negative regulator of gene expression. J Virol 80:553-61

Domi, Arban; Moss, Bernard (2005) Engineering of a vaccinia virus bacterial artificial chromosome in Escherichia coli by bacteriophage lambda-based recombination. Nat Methods 2:95-7

De Silva, Frank S; Moss, Bernard (2005) Origin-independent plasmid replication occurs in vaccinia virus cytoplasmic factories and requires all five known poxvirus replication factors. Virol J 2:23

Katsafanas, George C; Moss, Bernard (2004) Vaccinia virus intermediate stage transcription is complemented by Ras-GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein (G3BP) and cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein (p137) individually or as a heterodimer. J Biol Chem 279:52210-7