Alpha-TIF (VP16) from Herpes Simplex virus is an essential tegument protein involved in the transcriptional activation of viral immediate early (IE) promoters (alpha genes) during the lytic phase of viral infection. VP16 associates with cellular transcription factors to enhance transcription rates, including the general transcription factor TFIIB and the transcriptional coactivator PC4. The N-terminal residues of VP16 confer specificity for the IE genes, while the C-terminal residues are responsible for transcriptional activation. Within the C-terminal region are two activation regions that can independently and cooperatively activate transcription. VP16 forms a transcriptional regulatory complex with two cellular proteins, the POU-domain transcription factor Oct-1 and the cell-proliferation factor HCF-1. VP16 is an alpha/beta protein with an unusual fold. Other transcription factors may have a similar topology.
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