Cis-acting sequences responsible for the transcriptional activation of human T-cell leukemia virus type I constitute a conditional enhancer.

Transcription from the long terminal repeat promoter of human T-cell leukemia virus type I is activated in the presence of a trans-activator protein, TA-I, encoded in the 3' part of the genome. A series of long terminal repeat mutants and hybrid promoter constructs have been studied in a transient expression assay for their ability to be activated in the presence of the trans-activator protein. The sequences responsible for trans-activation have properties similar to those of transcription enhancer elements. They act relatively independent of position and orientation and activate both the homologous as well as heterologous promoters only in the presence of the trans-activator protein. Therefore, the trans-activator protein of human T-cell leukemia virus type I acts via an inducible enhancement mechanism.