Interaction between hepatitis C virus core protein and translin protein--a possible molecular mechanism for hepatocellular carcinoma and lymphoma caused by hepatitis C virus.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the interaction between hepatitis C virus core protein and translin protein and its role in the pathogenensis of hepatocellular carcinoma and lymphoma.


METHODS
With the components of the yeast two hybrid system 3, "bait" plasmids of HCV core the gene was constructed. After proving that hepatitis C virus core protein could be firmly expressed in AH109 yeast strains, yeast two- hybrid screening was performed by mating AH109 with Y187 that transformed with liver cDNA library plasmids-pACT2 and then plated on quadruple dropout (QDO) medium and then assayed for alpha-gal activity. Sequencing analysis of the genes of library plasmids in yeast colonies that could grow on QDO with alpha-gal activity was performed. The interaction between HCV core protein and the protein we obtained from positive colony was further confirmed by repeating yeast two - hybrid analysis and coimmunoprecipitation in vitro.


RESULTS
A gene from a positive colony was the gene of translin, a recombination hotspot binding protein. The interaction between HCV core protein and translin protein could be proved not only in yeast, but also in vitro.


CONCLUSIONS
The core protein of HCV can interact with translin protein. This can partly explain the molecular mechanism for hepatocellular carcinoma and lymphoma caused by HCV.
Li
Ke
K
Jun Cheng Gene Therapy Research Center, Institute of Infectious Diseases, The 302 Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China.
Wang
Lin
L
Cheng
Jun
J
Lu
Yin-Ying
YY
Zhang
Ling-Xin
LX
Mu
Jin-Song
JS
Hong
Yuan
Y
Liu
Yan
Y
Duan
Hui-Juan
HJ
Wang
Gang
G
Li
Li
L
Chen
Ju-Mei
JM
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C095563:TSN protein, human; D014758:Viral Core Proteins