CREB-binding protein and histone deacetylase regulate the transcriptional activity of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus open reading frame 50.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) open reading frame 50 (ORF50) encodes a viral transcriptional activator, which binds to the KSHV promoter and stimulates the transcription of viral early and late genes, thus activating the lytic cycle of KSHV. We report here that KSHV ORF50 binds to the cellular proteins CREB-binding protein (CBP) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) and these binding events modulate ORF50-activated viral transcription. Binding of ORF50 to CBP and HDAC activates and represses, respectively, ORF50-mediated viral transcription. KSHV ORF50 was shown to bind to the C/H3 domain and the C-terminal transcriptional activation domain of CBP, while CBP bound to the amino-terminal basic domain and the carboxyl-terminal transactivation domain of ORF50. The LXXLL motif within the transcriptional activation domain of ORF50 is reminiscent of the CBP-binding sequence found in nuclear receptor proteins. The adenovirus E1A protein, which also binds to the C/H3 domain of CBP, repressed the transcriptional activation activity of ORF50. The cellular protein c-Jun, which binds to the kinase-induced activation domain of ORF50, stimulated ORF50-mediated viral transcription. The HDAC1-interacting domain of ORF50 was shown to be a central proline-rich sequence. Our data provide a framework for delineating the regulatory mechanisms used by KSHV to modulate its transcription and replication through interaction with both histone acetyltransferases and HDACs.