The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early protein EB2 is a posttranscriptional activator expressed under the control of EBV transcription factors EB1 and R.

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From the cloning and characterization of cDNAs, we found that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) open reading frame (ORF) BMLF1-BSLF2 coding for the early protein EB2 is present in several mRNAs generated by alternative splicing and expressed in the leftward direction from two promoters PM and PM1. The PM promoter controls the expression of two abundant mRNA species of 1.9 and 2 kilobases (kb), whereas the PM1 promoter controls the expression of at least three mRNAs 3.6, 4.0, and 4.4 kb long. The PM promoter probably overlaps with the PS promoter which controls the transcription of a 3.6-kb mRNA expressed in the rightward direction and containing the ORF BSRF1. Although it increases the amount of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase enzyme expressed from the chimeric pMCAT gene, EB2 is not a promiscuous trans-activator of gene expression and does not positively regulate its own expression from promoter PM. The EB2 activation is not promoter dependent but could possibly act by stabilizing mRNAs and increasing their translation. The PM promoter is, however, activated by the two EBV transcription trans-acting factors, EB1 and R, encoded by the EBV ORFs BZLF1 and BRLF1, respectively. EB1 activates the PM promoter from a consensus AP-1 binding site, and R activates the PM promoter from an enhancer.

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