Simian virus 40 guanine-cytosine-rich sequences function as independent transcriptional control elements in vitro.

We have recently shown that DNA sequences located within the simian virus 40 (SV40) G-C-rich, 21-base-pair repeats constitute an important transcriptional control element of the SV40 late promoter (Brady et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 4:133-141, 1984). To gain further insight into the mechanism by which the SV40 G-C-rich repeats function, we have analyzed the transcriptional properties of several recombinant DNAs. The results presented in this report suggest that the SV40 G-C-rich sequences can function as independent RNA polymerase II transcriptional-control elements. In vitro competition studies demonstrated that sequences within the G-C-rich, 21-base-pair repeats, in the absence of either the SV40 early or late -25 transcriptional-control signals or the major RNA initiation sites, efficiently competed for transcription factors required for SV40 early and late RNA synthesis. Our transcription studies also demonstrated that in the absence of contiguous SV40 transcription control sequences, G-C-rich sequences stimulated initiation of transcription in a bidirectional manner, from proximally located sequences. Finally, we demonstrated that the 21-base-pair-repeat region can stimulate in vitro transcription from the heterologous adenovirus 2 major late promoter.