Internal deletions of IE2 86 and loss of the late IE2 60 and IE2 40 proteins encoded by human cytomegalovirus affect the levels of UL84 protein but not the amount of UL84 mRNA or the loading and distribution of the mRNA on polysomes.

The major immediate-early (IE) region of human cytomegalovirus encodes two IE proteins, IE1 72 and IE2 86, that are translated from alternatively spliced transcripts that differ in their 3' ends. Two other proteins that correspond to the C-terminal region of IE2 86, IE2 60 and IE2 40, are expressed at late times. In this study, we used IE2 mutant viruses to examine the mechanism by which IE2 86, IE2 60, and IE2 40 affect the expression of a viral DNA replication factor, UL84. Deletion of amino acids (aa) 136 to 290 of IE2 86 results in a significant decrease in UL84 protein during the infection. This loss of UL84 is both proteasome and calpain independent, and the stability of the protein in the context of infection with the mutant remains unaffected. The RNA for UL84 is expressed to normal levels in the mutant virus-infected cells, as are the RNAs for two other proteins encoded by this region, UL85 and UL86. Moreover, nuclear-to-cytoplasmic transport and the distribution of the UL84 mRNA on polysomes are unaffected. A region between aa 290 and 369 of IE2 86 contributes to the UL84-IE2 86 interaction in vivo and in vitro. IE2 86, IE2 60, and IE2 40 are each able to interact with UL84 in the mutant-infected cells, suggesting that these interactions may be important for the roles of UL84 and the IE2 proteins. Thus, these data have defined the contribution of IE2 86, IE2 60, and IE2 40 to the efficient expression of UL84 throughout the infection.