Analysis of influence of hepatitis C virus and Plasmodium falciparum proteins specifically expressed at liver on growth of HCV and P. falciparum.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25460181
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental and hygienic pharmacy
• Research Institution: Hyogo University of Health Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Nagano-Fujii Motoko 兵庫医療大学, 薬学部, 講師 (90304089)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HOTTA HAK 神戸大学, 大学院保健学研究科, 教授 (40116249) ; MATSUOKA HIROYUKI 自治医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (10173816)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: C型肝炎ウイルス / マラリア原虫 / Circumsprozoite protein / ETRAMP13 / 細胞増殖 / IL-8

Outline of Final Research Achievements

While Plasmodium is at the liver stages, clinically symptom is silent and do not cause obvious cytopathy to hepatocytes. We examined if Plasmodium proteins specifically expressed at the liver stages have potential to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication and to reduce cytopathy of hepatocytes caused by HCV infection. P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein showed almost no cytotoxicity against control cells whose HCV subgenomic RNA replicon was eliminated by interferon-α treatment. Cell viability was reduced compared to control cells when circumsporozoite protein was transiently expressed in Huh7.5-derived cell lines harbouring an HCV subgenomic RNA replicon. Inflammatory cytokine IL-8 mRNA level was increased in circumsporozoite protein-expressing cells harbouring an HCV subgenomic RNA replicon. We concluded that P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein is one of the candidates as the anti-HCV drug.

Free Research Field

ウイルス学