Hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein NS3 transforms NIH 3T3 cells.
Clinical evidence suggests that hepatitis C virus (HCV) is etiologically involved in hepatic cancer and liver cirrhosis. To investigate whether the HCV nonstructural protein NS3 has oncogenic activity, NIH 3T3 cells were transfected with an expression vector containing cDNA for the 5'- or 3'-half sequence of the HCV genome segment encoding NS3. Only cells transfected with the 5'-half cDNA rapidly proliferated, lost contact inhibition, grew anchorage independently in soft agar, and formed tumors in nude mice. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of the 5'-half DNA in the transfectants. These results suggest that the 5' region of the HCV genome segment encoding NS3 is involved in cell transformation.
Sakamuro
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Department of Microbiology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Furukawa
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Takegami
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D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C084422:NS3 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases