Brd2/RING3 interacts with a chromatin-binding domain in the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1) that is required for multiple functions of LANA-1

Latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) mediates the episomal replication of the KSHV genome, as well as transcriptional regulation, in latently infected cells. Interaction of LANA-1 with cellular chromatin is required for both these functions. An N-terminal heterochromatin-binding site in LANA-1 is essential for the replication and maintenance of latent episomes, as well as transcriptional regulation. We have recently described a C-terminal domain in LANA-1 that modulates the interaction with cellular interphase chromatin or elements of the nuclear matrix. Here, we used a series of LANA-1 deletion mutants to investigate the relationship between the different functions of LANA-1 and its interaction with the host chromatin-binding protein Brd2/RING3. Our findings suggest that the C-terminal chromatin-binding domain in LANA-1 is required for multiple LANA-1 functions, including the ability to bind to and replicate viral episomal DNA, to modulate transcription, and to interact with Brd2/RING3. Similar to the recently described tethering of bovine papillomavirus E2 protein to host chromatin via Brd4/MCAP, Brd2/RING3, another member of the Brd family of chromatin-binding proteins, therefore interacts with a chromatin-binding region of another viral latent nuclear protein and could play a role in its multiple functions.