Abstract
BackgroundInterferon is well thought-out as the key defence against all infections including HCV. The only treatment for HCV infection is pegylated interferon alpha (IFN-α) but unluckily more than half of the infected individuals do not act in response to the cure and become chronic HCV carriers. The mechanism how HCV induce interferon resistance is still elusive. It is recently reported that HCV envelope protein 2 interacts with PKR which is the interferon-inducible protein kinase and which in turn blocks the activity of its target molecule called eukaryotic initiation factor elF2. Sequence analysis of Envelope protein reveals it contains a domain homologous to phosphorylation sites of PKR andthe translation initiation factor eIF2alpha. Envelope protein competes for phosphorylation with PKR. Inhibition of kinase activity of PKR is postulated as a mechanism of to interferon (IFN) resistance.ResultsPresent study involves the insilico investigation of possible role of potential phosphorylation in envelope 2 protein of 3a genotype in interferon resistance. Envelope protein coding genes were isolated from local HCV isolates, cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was done and tertiary structure of envelope gene was predicted. Visualization of phosphorylation in tertiary structure reveals that residue 266 and 267 of envelope gene 2 are surface exposed and their phosphorylation may compete with the phosphorylation of PKR protein and possibly involved in mediating Interferon Resistance.ConclusionA hybrid in-silico and wet laboratory approach of motif prediction, evolutionary and structural analysis has pointed out serine 266 and 267 of the HCV E2 gene as a hopeful claimant for the serine phosphorylation. Recognition of these nucleotide variations may assist to propose genotype precise therapy to avoid and resolve HCV infections.
Highlights
Interferon is well thought-out as the key defence against all infections including Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of hepatitis which reduces the quality of life of some 170 million people worldwide [1]
1999 reported that envelope protein 2 of HCV contains a 12 amino-acid sequence domain which is homologous to the autophosphorylation site of PKR and initiation factor eIF2a, which is growth they considered it a possible mechanism by which HCV circumvents the antiviral effect of IFN and cause chronic infections and hepatocellular carcinoma
Summary
Interferon is well thought-out as the key defence against all infections including HCV. 1999 reported that envelope protein 2 of HCV contains a 12 amino-acid sequence domain which is homologous to the autophosphorylation site of PKR and initiation factor eIF2a, which is growth they considered it a possible mechanism by which HCV circumvents the antiviral effect of IFN and cause chronic infections and hepatocellular carcinoma. They reported that E2 proteins with a PePHD sequence identical to genotypes 2 and 3 of HCV, which are known IFN sensitive genotypes, showed only a weak inhibitory effect against PKR activity [28]
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