Unravelling the multiple roles of apolipoprotein E in the hepatitis C virus life cycle

Worldwide, about 3% of the population is infected with HCV, and chronic infection is associated with a risk of serious progressive liver disease. The recent introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has considerably improved the treatment of chronic HCV infection, and most patients are now cured without major side effects.1 However, subgroups of patients difficult-to-treat and requiring additional therapeutic approaches will probably emerge. Furthermore, DAAs are very expensive, limiting their use in some countries.1 Thus, in the absence of prophylactic vaccines, improvements to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying virus assembly, maturation and secretion from the cell are required, to facilitate the development of new treatment options. In patients, HCV particles circulate as hybrid particles, known as lipoviroparticles (LVPs), combining components of both HCV and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL).2 LVPs have a low density (<1.06 g/mL) and are highly infectious. Their maturation and release...

Source: Gut - April 7, 2017 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Roingeard, P., Dreneau, J., Meunier, J.-C. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research