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A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
Effects of microvirin monomers and oligomers on hepatitis C virus
Yuan-Qin Min1, Xu-Chu Duan2, Yi-Dan Zhou3
1State Key Laboratory of Virology, Department of Immunology, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, School of Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Microvirin (MVN) is a carbohydrate-binding protein which shows high specificity for high-mannose type N-glycan structures. In the present study, we tried to identify whether MVN could bind to high-mannose containing hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope glycoproteins, which are heavily decorated high-mannose glycans. In addition, recombinantly expressed MVN oligomers in di-, tri- and tetrameric form were evaluated for their viral inhibition. MVN oligomers bound more efficiently to HCV virions, and displayed in comparison with the MVN monomer a higher neutralization potency against HCV infection. The antiviral effect was furthermore affected by the peptide linker sequence connecting the MVN monomers. The results indicate that MVN oligomers such as trimers and tetramers may be used as future neutralization agents against HCV infections.
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