Abstract
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BGLF4 gene product is the only protein kinase encoded by the virus genome. In order to elucidate its physiological roles in viral productive replication, we here established a BGLF4-knockout mutant and a revertant virus. While the levels of viral DNA replication of the deficient mutant were equivalent to those of the wild-type and the revertant, virus production was significantly impaired. Expression of the BGLF4 protein in trans fully complemented the low yield of the mutant virus, while expression of a kinase-dead (K102I) form of the protein failed to restore the virus titer. These results demonstrate that BGLF4 plays a significant role in production of infectious viruses and that the kinase activity is crucial.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 75-81 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Virology |
| Volume | 389 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Virology