abstract
- We have tested the responsiveness of the upstream regulatory regions (URR) of human papillomaviruses (HPV) to transactivation by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate early proteins ICP4 (Vmw175) and ICP0 (Vmw110), using recombinant plasmids which contain URRs of HPV 1, 11 or 16 upstream of an SV40-promoted CAT gene. Transfection of the HPV-CAT plasmids into mouse cells expressing a temperature-sensitive ICP4 protein enabled us to demonstrate that ICP4 enhances transcription of the HPV 1 and 16 URRs, but not of the HPV 11 URR. Cotransfection of the HPV CAT plasmids with a plasmid encoding ICP0 indicated that only the URR of HPV 16 responded to this protein, and that the response was host cell dependent.