The E8 domain confers a novel long-distance transcriptional repression activity on the E8E2C protein of high-risk human papillomavirus type 31.

Infections with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the major risk factor for the development of anogenital cancers. Viral E2 proteins are involved in viral DNA replication and regulation of transcription. Repression of the viral P97 promoter by E2 proteins has been implicated in the modulation of the immortalization capacity and DNA replication properties of high-risk HPVs. Analysis of the cis and trans requirements for repression of the HPV type 31 (HPV31) P97 promoter, however, revealed striking differences between the full-length E2 and the E8E2C fusion protein which were due to conserved residues W6 and K7 of the E8 domain. In contrast to E2, E8E2C completely inhibited the P97 promoter from a single promoter-distal E2 binding site. This novel long-distance repression activity of the E8 domain also enabled E8E2C to inhibit the HPV6a P2 promoter and minimal-promoter constructs containing E2 binding sites. Thus, E8E2C may represent the master repressor of viral gene expression during a high-risk HPV infection, and changes in the activity of E8E2C might contribute to the progression of high-risk HPV-induced lesions.