{"id":29150,"date":"2020-10-22T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.inrs.ca\/?p=29150"},"modified":"2020-11-19T15:31:17","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T20:31:17","slug":"a-promising-discovery-could-lead-to-better-treatment-for-hepatitis-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.inrs.ca\/en\/news\/inrs-researchers-have-uncovered-a-novel-role-played-by-a-protein-in-the-progression-of-hepatitis-c-virus-infection-paving-the-way-for-more-effective-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"A promising discovery could lead to better treatment for Hepatitis C"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

INRS researchers have uncovered a novel role played by a protein in the progression of Hepatitis C virus infection, paving the way for more effective treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No vaccine currently exists for Hepatitis C virus infection, which affects more than 130 million people worldwide and nearly 250,000 Canadians. Antivirals exist but are expensive and not readily available in developing countries, where the disease is most prevalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hepatisis
Hepatisis is a disease of the liver. Photo : Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Professor Terence Ndonyi Bukong<\/a> and his team of virologists, in partnership with Professor Patrick Labont\u00e9<\/a>, discovered this potential therapeutic target. They unveiled that the cellular protein RTN3 was involved in mediating an important pathway essential in Hepatitis C virus disease development, and progression. This promising discovery could lead to better treatments for the disease, which kills approximately 500,000 people annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master of disguise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Normally, the immune system needs to recognize a virus to attack it and prevent infection. The Hepatitis C virus, however, is a master of disguise. It moves around, undetected, in exosomes, which are cell-released microvesicles vesicles that normally function in cellular communication, transport, and cellular waste disposal. This novel research revealed that the Hepatitis C viruses interact with a key area of the RTN3 protein utilizing it to insert their viral RNA into exosomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are the first researchers to demonstrate the exosomal role that this protein plays in hepatitis C pathogenesis,\u201d said Dr. Bukong, who led the study<\/a> published in the journal PLOS One. \u201cBy identifying the areas of the protein that lead to the formation of an infectious exosome, we can now look for distinctive molecules that block the interaction with the viral RNA.\u201d He went on to say, \u201cThis would prevent the viral RNA from being able to enter exosomes and hide from the body\u2019s immune system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery of this interaction between the virus and the RTN3 protein opens the door to more research on other viruses that use exosomes to evade detection. \u201cFor example, studies have shown that HIV, Zika, and Hepatitis B viruses also hide inside exosomes. This disguise creates a problem for the optimal function of vaccines because even if antibodies are developed, they are unable to block viral infection or transmission,\u201d Dr. Bukong explained. \u201cIf the RTN3 protein also plays an important role in these other illnesses, it could help us make more effective treatments, and, potentially, more effective vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the study<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The researchers received funding from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Alberta Innovates and the Fondation Armand-Frappier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INRS researchers have uncovered a novel role played by a protein in the progression of Hepatitis C virus infection, paving the way for more effective treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":29163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[688,15],"tags":[],"sectors":[679],"class_list":["post-29150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innover-a-linrs-en","category-series-en","sectors-sante-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA promising discovery could lead to better treatment for Hepatitis C | INRS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"INRS researchers have uncovered a novel role played by a protein in the progression of Hepatitis C virus infection, paving the way for more effective treatment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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