The serum unresponsive Rous sarcoma virus promoter sustains a high serum response factor-dependent transcription in vitro.

CArG boxes are cis-regulatory elements which are represented both in serum responsive and unresponsive promoters. Here we show that the RSV Long Terminal Repeat contains two CArG boxes, which were efficiently recognised by purified Serum Response Factor, although they remained unresponsive to serum in transient transfection assays. However, RSV CArG boxes were as efficient as c-fos Serum Response Element in mediating a Serum Response Factor-dependent transcription in vitro. Thus, the fact that a CArG box is able to bind Serum Response Factor in an active form is insufficient for serum responsiveness in vivo.