Inhibition of Hepatitis B Virus by AAV8-Derived CRISPR/SaCas9 Expressed From Liver-Specific Promoters.

ABSTRACT: Curative therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remain a distant goal, and the persistence of stable covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) during HBV replication is a key barrier that is hard to break through using the drugs currently approved for HBV treatment. Due to the accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of genome editing, CRISPR/Cas technologies are being widely used for gene therapy and in antiviral strategies. Although CRISPR/Cas could possibly clear cccDNA, ensuring its safety is requirement for application. In our study, we analyzed the liver specificity of several promoters and constructed candidate promoters in the CRISPR/Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (SaCas9) system combined with hepatotropic AAV8 (whereby AAV refers to adeno-associated virus) to

SUBMITTER: Yan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8271097 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature