Complementation of a bovine papilloma virus low-copy-number mutant: evidence for a temporal requirement of the complementing gene.

We identified a bovine papilloma virus function encoded by the E6/E7 gene, which is required for both BPV high-copy-number replication and maintenance of transformation of cultured cells. A cDNA copy of this gene was isolated and expressed from a retrovirus vector. We found that complete complementation of a BPV low-copy-number mutant (dl576) by the cDNA encoding the E6/E7 gene was temporally dependent. When both the E6/E7 cDNA and dl576 were introduced together into cells, wild-type replication and stable transformation resulted. In contrast, introduction of the complementing cDNA into cells already carrying dl576 led to only partial amplification of the resident mutant DNA accompanied by a restoration of the transformed phenotype. These results, along with other findings, suggest that the establishment of BPV plasmid replication occurs in two stages: an initial amplification of the incoming DNA followed by stable homeostatic replication which maintains the existing copy number.