Sero-reactivity to three distinct regions within the hepatitis C virus alternative reading frame protein (ARFP/core+1) in patients with chronic HCV genotype-3 infection.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects more than 71 million people worldwide. The disease slowly progresses to chronic, long-term liver injury which leads to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 5 % of infections. The alternative reading frame protein (ARFP/core+1) is encoded by a sequence overlapping the HCV core gene in the +1 reading frame. Its role in hepatitis C pathogenesis and the viral life cycle is unclear, although some observers have related its production to disease progression and the development of HCC. The aim of this study was to determine whether ARFP is immunogenic in patients with chronic HCV genotype 3 infection and to assess whether sero-reactivity is associated with disease progression, particularly to HCC. Immunogenic epitopes within the protein were predicted by a b

SUBMITTER: Elsheikh MEA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9176264 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature