HCV requires a tight junction-associated protein for cell entry

Witteveldt, J., Vieyres, G. and Patel, A.H. (2007) HCV requires a tight junction-associated protein for cell entry. Future Virology, 2(4), pp. 335-338. (doi: 10.2217/17460794.2.4.335)

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Abstract

Evaluation of: Evans MJ, von Hahn T, Tscherne DM et al.: Claudin-1 is a hepatitis C virus co-receptor required for a late step in entry. Nature 446(7137), 801–805 (2007). Viruses use surface molecules on target cells as receptors to gain entry and initiate infection. Unraveling the mechanisms of the entry process is crucial for understanding the virus life cycle and pathogenesis, and for developing novel intervention strategies. HCV enters cells by endocytosis following binding to receptors via its envelope glycoproteins, E1 and E2. Several cell receptors have been proposed to be involved in this process, but these are not sufficient for productive entry, indicating that one or more entry factors are yet to be discovered. Toward this, Evans and colleagues identified claudin-1, a member of a family of transmembrane proteins that are major constituents of tight junctions between cells, as essential for HCV entry. They demonstrated that claudin-1 is a coreceptor involved in a late stage of virus entry, and identified amino acid residues located in its first external loop as critical for this process. Their findings suggest that claudin-1 does not determine species host range, but it may be a determinant of HCV tissue tropism. The discovery represents a major step forward in understanding the HCV entry mechanism and pathogenesis, and offers a novel target for future development of antiviral therapy.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Witteveldt, Dr Jeroen and Patel, Professor Arvind
Authors: Witteveldt, J., Vieyres, G., and Patel, A.H.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
Journal Name:Future Virology
Publisher:Future Medicine
ISSN:1746-0794
ISSN (Online):1746-0808

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