NS3 enzyme behaves like a "caterpillar" and helps the Hepatitus C virus to replicate
Thursday, September 10, 2015 - 08:00
in Biology & Nature
NS3 is an enzyme specific to the hepatitis C virus. If developed, a drug capable of recognizing and selectively attacking it could fight the disease without side effects for the body. However, to be able to develop one we need to know more about the behaviour of this important protein in the virus replication process. Until now, we have only had some "still images" – obtained with crystallography techniques – of the interaction between the protein and the RNA, which makes the viral genome. Now some SISSA scientists have used numerical techniques to reproduce the whole "film", thereby providing a detailed and comprehensive view of the behaviour of NS3. The study has been published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.