Background & Aims: Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RNA interference (RNAi) may act as a host antiviral response against viral RNA.

Methods: The effects of RNAi on both the replicative intermediates and the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV were studied by using HCV-related short interfering RNA (siRNA) detection assay. The mechanism that permits HCV to escape RNAi was studied by using RNAi assay materials.

Results: These studies demonstrate that the Dicer, an RNase enzyme that generates short siRNA, can target and digest both the IRES and the replicative intermediate of HCV into siRNA of approximately 22 nucleotides. Further studies also show that Dicer can inhibit the replication of the HCV subgenomic replicon. However, the HCV core protein inhibits this RNAi and rescues the replication of the HCV subgenomic replicon through a direct interaction with Dicer.

Conclusions: RNAi is a limiting factor for HCV infection, and the core protein suppresses the RNA silencing-based antiviral response. This ability of the core protein to counteract the host defense may lead to a persistent viral infection and may contribute to the pathogenesis of HCV.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2005.12.028DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

core protein
16
antiviral response
12
hcv
9
hepatitis virus
8
rna silencing-based
8
silencing-based antiviral
8
replication hcv
8
hcv subgenomic
8
subgenomic replicon
8
rnai
6

Similar Publications

How SNARE proteins generate force to fuse membranes.

Biophys J

January 2025

Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027. Electronic address:

Membrane fusion is central to fundamental cellular processes such as exocytosis, when an intracellular machinery fuses membrane-enclosed vesicles to the plasma membrane for contents release. The core machinery components are the SNARE proteins. SNARE complexation pulls the membranes together, but the fusion mechanism remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The outer membrane is the defining structure of Gram-negative bacteria. We previously demonstrated that it is a major load-bearing component of the cell envelope and is therefore critical to the mechanical robustness of the bacterial cell. Here, to determine the key molecules and moieties within the outer membrane that underlie its contribution to cell envelope mechanics, we measured cell-envelope stiffness across several sets of mutants with altered outer-membrane sugar content, protein content, and electric charge.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

BACKGROUND Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare (1: 1 000 000) autosomal dominant congenital skeletal dysplasia characterized by widely patent calvarial sutures, clavicular hypoplasia, supernumerary teeth, and short stature. Only a minority of the cases are diagnosed early after birth. We present another case of proven CCD presenting with typical neonatal phenotype to promote awareness of this rare disorder.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of osilodrostat and hypercortisolism control on blood pressure (BP) and glycemic control in patients with Cushing's disease.

Methods: Pooled analysis of two Phase III osilodrostat studies (LINC 3 and LINC 4), both comprising a 48-week core phase and an optional open-label extension. Changes from baseline in systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA) were evaluated during osilodrostat treatment in patients with/without hypertension or diabetes at baseline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies have suggested that the presence of human epididymal protein 4 (HE4) in pleural fluid can be used to diagnose malignant pleural effusion (MPE) with moderate accuracy. However, the factors that affect the diagnostic accuracy of HE4 remain unknown. This study aimed to examine how age and sex influence the diagnostic accuracy of HE4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!