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Description

Alpha trans-inducing protein (UniProt: Q69113, also known as Alpha-TIF) is encoded by the VP16 (also known as UL48) gene (Gene ID: 1487335) in human Herpes Simplex virus 2. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a large enveloped DNA virus that replicates in the nuclei of mammalian cells. Its virion contains two regulatory proteins that are reported to modulate gene expression in infected cells: the transcriptional activator VP16 and the virion host shutoff protein vhs. VP16, an abundant structural protein, is shown to be essential for virion assembly and it stimulates transcription of the HSV immediate-early (IE) genes. Its transcriptional activation domain is localized in the C-terminal region. It is targeted to the TAATGARATTC consensus sequence found in IE promoters through interactions with the host factors Oct-1 and HCF. It is delivered by the infecting virion and acts during the earliest stages of infection to stimulate transcription of the viral IE genes, thereby facilitating the onset of the lytic program of viral gene expression. It is also reported to suppress vhs host protein synthesis and induce accelerated turnover of cellular and viral mRNAs. Clone LP1 is directed against VP16 in both HSV-1 and HSV-2. (Ref.: Smibert, CA., et al. (1994). J. Virol. 68(4), 2339-2346, McLean, C., et al. (1982). J. Gen. Virol. 63(2), 297-305).