Publications by authors named "P Balfe"
Mammalian cells have evolved strategies to regulate gene expression when oxygen is limited. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) are the major transcriptional regulators of host gene expression. We previously reported that HIFs bind and activate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA transcription under low oxygen conditions; however, the global cellular response to low oxygen is mediated by a family of oxygenases that work in concert with HIFs.
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- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) poses a significant global health issue, especially affecting young children and the elderly, but our understanding of the factors influencing infection susceptibility and severity is limited.
- * Researchers found that hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) play a crucial role in reducing RSV entry and replication by regulating the expression of the receptor nucleolin and affecting inflammatory responses in the lungs.
- * Treatment with Daprodustat, a known HIF prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitor, in RSV-infected mice led to decreased infectious virus levels and reduced inflammation, suggesting potential therapeutic strategies targeting HIF signaling for RSV infection.*
Chronic hepatitis B is a global health problem and current treatments only suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, highlighting the need for new curative treatments. Oxygen levels influence HBV replication and we previously reported that hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) activate the basal core promoter (BCP). Here we show that the hypoxic-dependent increase in BCP-derived transcripts is dependent on N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications in the 5' stem loop that regulate RNA half-life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic hepatitis B is a global health problem and current treatments only suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, highlighting the need for new curative treatments. Oxygen levels influence HBV replication and we previously reported that hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) activate the basal core promoter to transcribe pre-genomic RNA. Application of a probe-enriched long-read sequencing method to map the HBV transcriptome showed an increased abundance of all viral RNAs under low oxygen or hypoxic conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) causes major health burdens worldwide and still lacks curative therapies and vaccines. Circadian rhythms are endogenous daily oscillations that coordinate an organism's response to its environment and invading pathogens. Peripheral viral loads of HIV-1 infected patients show diurnal variation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.
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