| dc.description.abstract | Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is estimated to infect 3% of the world's population and is transmitted by contaminated blood. HCV can be asymptomatic or lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma. Understanding the virus life cycle and the viral proteins generated by HCV will help expand the knowledge of mechanisms that the virus uses to inhibit the immune system. HCV produces 10 viral proteins when it infects hepatocytes that increase the reproduction ability of the virus. The anti-viral response of the body uses transcription factors such as ATF-2, NFKB, and IRF-3 that translocate into the nucleus and bind to the interferon gene that produces interferon to alert the body of a viral infection. HCV viral protein NS3/4A acts as protease to cleave the polycistronic strand of viral proteins made by HCV and is known to inhibit IRF-3 movement into the nucleus to inhibit the production of interferon. HCV viral protein NS5A is known to inhibit the movement of transcription factor NFKB into the nucleus, thus inhibiting the anti-viral response. We have shown that HCV viral protein NS3/4A inhibits the movement of both transcription factors NFKB and IRF-3 supporting the hypothesis that NS3/4A is able to block the anti-viral response inhibiting both the movement of NFKB and IRF-3 following infection. These findings suggest the importance of the interferon gene in alerting the immune system of an infection, as HCV produces two viral proteins that inhibit the production of interferon so it can establish a chronic infection within the host. | |
