title: Inhibition of hepatitis C virus 3a genotype entry through Glanthus Nivalis Agglutinin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) has two envelop proteins E1 and E2 which is highly glycosylated and play an important role in cell entry. Inhibition of virus at entry step is an important target to find antiviral drugs against HCV. Glanthus Nivalis Agglutinin (GNA) is a mannose binding lectin which has tendency for specific recognition and reversible binding to the sugar moieties of a wide variety of glycoproteins of enveloped viruses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present study, HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp) for genotype 3a were produced to investigate the ability of GNA to block the HCV entry. The results demonstrated that GNA inhibit the infectivity of HCVpp and HCV infected serum in a dose-dependent manner and resulted in 50% reduction of virus at 1 ± 2 μg concentration. Molecular docking of GNA and HCV glycoproteins (E1 and E2) showed that GNA inhibit HCV entry by binding N-linked glycans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrated that targeting the HCV glycans is a new approach to develop antiviral drugs against HCV.
authors: Division of Molecular Medicine, Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. usmancemb@gmail.com
authors: Usman A
authors: UA
authors: Ashfaq
authors: Muhammad S
authors: MS
authors: Masoud
authors: Saba
authors: S
authors: Khaliq
authors: Zafar
authors: Z
authors: Nawaz
authors: Sheikh
authors: S
authors: Riazuddin
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