Ectopic Expression of Genotype 1 Hepatitis E Virus ORF4 Increases Genotype 3 HEV Viral Replication in Cell Culture.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can account for up to a 30% mortality rate in pregnant women, with highest incidences reported for genotype 1 (gt1) HEV. Reasons contributing to adverse maternal-fetal outcome during pregnancy in HEV-infected pregnant women remain elusive in part due to the lack of a robust tissue culture model for some strains. Open reading frame (ORF4) was discovered overlapping ORF1 in gt1 HEV whose protein expression is regulated via an IRES-like RNA element. To experimentally determine whether gt3 HEV contains an ORF4-like gt1, gt1 and gt3 sequence comparisons were performed between the gt1 and the homologous gt3 sequence. To assess whether ORF4 protein could enhance gt3 replication, Huh7 cell lines constitutively expressing ORF4 were created and used to assess the replication

SUBMITTER: Yadav KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7827316 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature