PROMOTER OF THE ADENOVIRUS POLYPEPTIDE-IX GENE - SIMILARITY TO E1B AND INACTIVATION BY SUBSTITUTION OF THE SIMIAN VIRUS-40 TATA ELEMENT

The promoter of the adenovirus polypeptide IX (pIX) gene consists of an SP1 binding site and a TATA box and is remarkably similar to the promoter of the E1B gene in which it is nested. Plasmid constructs containing the pIX gene with deletions in the SP1 or TATA sites were defective in pIX mRNA production in transient expression assays. These results were confirmed with analogous virus constructs. An oligonucleotide containing sequences within the pIX promoter region spanning the SP1 and TATA sites but not including the sequences downstream of the TATA box is sufficient to direct mRNA synthesis at + 90 nucleotides within the pIX gene. While the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter is capable of directing pIX mRNA synthesis from the SV40 cap sites, substitution of the pIX TATA box with the SV40 TATA box results in barely detectable levels of pIX mRNA. These results will be discussed with respect to exchangeability of promoter elements and the possible role of the viral E1B 21-kDa protein in potentiating or stabilizing transcription factor TFIID binding to the pIX TATA element.