Hepatitis C virus NS2 protein inhibits gene expression from different cellular and viral promoters in hepatic and nonhepatic cell lines.
The mechanisms leading to viral persistence and hepatocarcinogenesis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are not fully understood. Recently, evidence has been accumulated that HCV viral proteins might interfere with gene expression of host cells. Here, we demonstrate that the amino-terminal portion of HCV NS2 protein inhibits the expression of reporter genes driven by different promoters or enhancer elements and also inhibits hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene expression and HBV DNA replication. The inhibitory effect of HCV NS2 on liver and non-liver-specific promoters and enhancer elements might be relevant for the pathogenesis of chronic HCV infection.
Dumoulin
Franz Ludwig
FL
Department of Medicine I, University of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, Germany. dumoulin@uni-bonn.de
von dem Bussche
Annette
A
Li
Jisu
J
Khamzina
Leila
L
Wands
Jack R
JR
Sauerbruch
Tilman
T
Spengler
Ulrich
U
D002460:Cell Line; D015870:Gene Expression; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
C097010:NS2 protein, Hepatitis C virus; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins