疱疹病毒坚持精确的时间表达模型,其中立即早期(IE)基因在调节病毒生命周期中起关键作用。然而,目前尚缺乏对Ictaluriid疱疹病毒1型(IcHV-1)IE基因的功能研究。在这项研究中,我们通过代谢抑制试验将IcHV-1ORF24鉴定为IE基因,亚细胞分析表明其主要位于细胞核中。为了研究它的功能,我们使用含有Gal4-BD结构域的ORF24融合蛋白进行了酵母报告基因测定,发现BD-ORF24能够激活没有Gal4-AD结构域的HIS3/lacZ报告基因.我们的发现提供了具体的证据,证明ORF24确实是IE基因,在IcHV-1感染期间可能充当转录调节因子。这项工作有助于我们了解鱼类疱疹病毒IE基因表达的分子机制。
Herpesviruses adhere to a precise temporal expression model in which immediate-early (IE) genes play a crucial role in regulating the viral life cycle. However, there is a lack of functional research on the IE genes in Ictalurid herpesvirus 1 (IcHV-1). In this study, we identified the IcHV-1 ORF24 as an IE gene via a metabolic inhibition assay, and subcellular analysis indicated its predominant localisation in the nucleus. To investigate its function, we performed yeast reporter assays using an ORF24 fusion protein containing the Gal4-BD domain and found that BD-ORF24 was able to activate HIS3/lacZ reporter genes without the Gal4-AD domain. Our findings provide concrete evidence that ORF24 is indeed an IE gene that likely functions as a transcriptional regulator during IcHV-1 infection. This work contributes to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying fish herpesvirus IE gene expression.