title: Tandem repeats of lactoferrin-derived anti-hepatitis C virus peptide enhance antiviral activity in cultured human hepatocytes.
abstract: Previously, we found that bovine and human lactoferrin (LF) specifically inhibited hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in cultured non-neoplastic human hepatocyte-derived PH5CH8 cells, and we identified 33 amino acid residues (termed C-s3-33; amino acid 600-632) from human LF that were primarily responsible for the binding activity to the HCV E2 envelope protein and for the inhibiting activity against HCV infection. Since the anti-HCV activity of C-s3-33 was weaker than that of human LF, we speculated that an increase of E2 protein-binding activity might contribute to the enhancement of anti-HCV activity. To test this possibility, we made two repeats [(C-s3-33)(2)] and three repeats [(C-s3-33)(3)] of C-s3-33 and characterized them. Far-Western blot analysis revealed that the E2 protein-binding activities of (C-s3-33)(2) and (C-s3-33)(3) became stronger than that of the C-s3-33, and that the binding activity of (C-s3-33)(3) was stronger than that of (C-s3-33)(2). Using an HCV infection system in PH5CH8 cells, we demonstrated that the anti-HCV activities of (C-s3-33)(2) and (C-s3-33)(3) became stronger than that of the C-s3-33. Furthermore, using a recently developed infection system with a VSV pseudotype harboring the green fluorescent protein gene and the native E1 and E2 genes, we demonstrated that the antiviral activities of (C-s3-33)(2) and (C-s3-33)(3) were stronger than that of C-s3-33. These results suggest that tandem repeats of LF-derived anti-HCV peptide are useful as anti-HCV reagents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Akito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dansako
authors.forename: Hiro-O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D010455:Peptides; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C091015:glycoprotein E2, Hepatitis C virus; D007781:Lactoferrin