▲There is no treatment for hepatitis A yet, so prevention is the best approach. [Photo by Korea University Guro Hospital]
[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have uncovered the survival strategies of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). They identified the mixed RNA tail essential for the survival of these viruses and the proteins that compose it. The research team expects that these proteins could be used as new targets for gene therapy. The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) announced on the 5th that the RNA Research Division's findings were published in the international journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
Unveiling the Survival Strategy of Hepatitis B Virus
When TENT4 protein and (below) ZCCHC14 protein are deficient, the mixed tails of the two viruses decrease and RNA stability is reduced.
Led by team leader Bitna Kim, the RNA Research Division revealed that the Hepatitis B and cytomegaloviruses mimic and exploit the host cell's RNA protection system.
First, they confirmed that the RNA of these viruses contains mixed tails composed of various nucleotides, similar to those in host cells. Originally, the mixed tail is a system used by cells to protect their own RNA, preventing RNA degradation and enabling gene activation.
The research team also identified that the TENT4 protein and the ZCCHC14 protein complex are used to generate the mixed tail. Some viral RNA contains a hairpin-shaped structure called a 'hairpin,' and when the protein complex binds to this structure, the TENT4 protein creates the mixed tail.
A New Chapter in Hepatitis B Gene Therapy
The research team expects that it will be possible to develop new infection treatments targeting the proteins that assist mixed tail formation and the hairpin. Blocking the binding between the hairpin and the protein complex can reduce the stability of the virus.
Hepatitis B virus causes approximately 800,000 deaths worldwide annually. Cytomegalovirus causes pneumonia, encephalitis, and other conditions in immunocompromised patients. However, no fundamental treatment has yet been developed. Viruses devise their own survival strategies to evade the host's immune system, but the principles and mechanisms by which Hepatitis B virus and cytomegalovirus protect themselves had not been revealed.
Team leader Bitna Kim said, "We have elucidated the mechanism of mixed tail formation, which is the survival strategy of Hepatitis B virus and cytomegalovirus," adding, "This could also be applied to gene therapy technology using mixed tails."
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