Hepatitis C virus core protein: intriguing properties and functional relevance.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) often causes a prolonged and persistent infection, and an association between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCV infection has been noted. The pathogenesis of liver damage is at least in part related to virus-mediated factors. Understanding the molecular basis of pathogenesis is a major challenge in gaining insight into HCV-associated disease progression. Recent experimental evidence using HCV cloned genomic regions suggests that the core protein has numerous functional activities. These include its likely role in encapsidation of viral RNA, a regulatory effect on cellular and unrelated viral promoters, interactions with a number of cellular proteins, an modulatory role in programmed cell death or apoptosis under certain conditions, involvement in cell growth promotion and immortalization, induction of HCC in transgenic mice, and a possible immunoregulatory role. These intriguing properties suggest that the core protein, in concert with cellular factors, may contribute to pathogenesis during persistent HCV infection.
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Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, MO 63110, USA.
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D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002455:Cell Division; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D019065:Virus Assembly
D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins