Investigation of the Multimerization Region of the Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (Human Herpesvirus 8) Protein K-bZIP: the Proposed Leucine Zipper Region Encodes a Multimerization Domain with an Unusual Structure

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Abstract
The K8 gene of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8) shares many functional similarities with the BZLF1 gene of Epstein-Barr virus. The protein products of K8 and BZLF1 , K-bZIP (RAP, K8) and Zta (BZLF1, ZEBRA, Z) have both been proposed to be members of the bZIP family of transcription factors, forming multimers via a coiled-coil motif termed a leucine zipper. Substantial evidence supporting this model for Zta is published. Here, we demonstrate that the proposed leucine zipper region of K-bZIP (amino acids 182 to 218) is required for multimer formation but that it does not fold as a coiled coil.