Hepatitis B virus genetic diversity has minimal impact on sensitivity of the viral ribonuclease H to inhibitors.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer, but the current therapies that employ either nucelos(t)ide analogs or (pegylated)interferon α do not clear the infection in the large majority of patients. Inhibitors of the HBV ribonuclease H (RNaseH) that are being developed with the goal of producing anti-HBV drugs are promising candidates for use in combination with the nucleos(t)ide analogs to improve therapeutic efficacy. HBV is genetically very diverse, with at least 8 genotypes that differ by ≥8% at the sequence level. This diversity is reflected in the viral RNaseH enzyme, raising the possibility that divergent HBV genotypes or isolates may have varying sensitivity to RNaseH inhibitors. To evaluate this possibility, we expressed and purified 18 p

SUBMITTER: Lu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5099120 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature