We previously reported that the equine herpesvirus type 1(EHV-1) immediate-early protein(IE protein) physically interacts with the general transcription factor human TFIIB(Jang et al, J Virol 75：10219-10230, 2001). The interaction between the IE protein and TFIIB is necessary for the IE protein to efficiently transactivate the early TK and late IR5 EHV-1 promoters. A panel of deletion and truncation mutants of the TFIIB gene was constructed and employed in protein-binding assays to map the IE protein-binding domain within TFIIB. Evidence is presented that the first direct repeat of TFIIB interacts specifically with the EHV-1 IE protein.