VP16 is a part of the tegument of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) particles, and is a prototypical acidic activator. GAL4-VP16 is constructed by the fusion of the acidic activation domain of the HSV (herpes simplex virus) VP16 transactivator to the DNA binding domain of GAL4. VP16 (411-490) is the 89-residue activation domain of VP16 protein.
Synonyms: VP16
Purity: >=80% (SDS-PAGE)
Storage: -70C
Biochem Physiol Actions: The GAL4 yeast protein is responsible for the induction of various genes involved in galactose metabolism. This requires the binding of GAL4 gene to the upstream activation sites containing the consensus sequence 5'-CGGN5(T/A)N5CCG-3'. VP16 protein is essential for inducing the expression of viral immediate-early (IE) genes. A fragment of the GAL4 protein, comprising amino acids 1-147, binds DNA but fails to activate transcription. The highly acidic C-terminal tail of VP16 functions as a potent transcriptional activator in mammalian cells. GAL4-VP16 construct functions as an activator which promotes transcription in mammalian cells.