| Title | Adenosylhomocysteinase like 1 interacts with nonstructural 5A and regulates hepatitis C virus propagation |
|---|---|
| Author | Yun-Sook Lim1, Han N. Mai1,2, Lap P. Nguyen1, Sang Min Kang3, Dongseob Tark3, and Soon B. Hwang1,2 |
| Address | 1Laboratory of RNA Viral Diseases, Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54531, Republic of Korea, 2Ilsong Institute of Life Science, Hallym University, Anyang 14066, Republic of Korea, 3Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention, Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54531, Republic of Korea |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 59(1),101–109, 2021, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-021-0470-8 |
| Key Words | hepatitis C virus, AHCYL1, NS5A, protein microarray, viral propagation |
| Abstract | Hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle is highly dependent on cellular proteins for viral propagation. In order to identify the cellular factors involved in HCV propagation, we previously performed a protein microarray assay using the HCV nonstructural 5A (NS5A) protein as a probe. Of ~9,000 human cellular proteins immobilized in a microarray, adenosylhomocysteinase like 1 (AHCYL1) was among 90 proteins identified as NS5A interactors. Of these candidates, AHCYL1 was selected for further study. In the present study, we verified the physical interaction between NS5A and AHCYL1 by both in vitro pulldown and coimmunoprecipitation assays. Furthermore, HCV NS5A interacted with endogenous AHCYL1 in Jc1-infected cells. Both NS5A and AHCYL1 were colocalized in the cytoplasmic region in HCV-replicating cells. siRNAmediated knockdown of AHCYL1 abrogated HCV propagation. Exogenous expression of the siRNA-resistant AHCYL1 mutant, but not of the wild-type AHCYL1, restored HCV protein expression levels, indicating that AHCYL1 was required specifically for HCV propagation. Importantly, AHCYL1 was involved in the HCV internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation step of the HCV life cycle. Finally, we demonstrated that the proteasomal degradation pathway of AHCYL1 was modulated by persistent HCV infection. Collectively, these data suggest that HCV may modulate the AHCYL1 protein to promote viral propagation. |