![]() Indeed, Vinther says the next steps for his research will be to look at other RNA viruses to see if they use a similar cap.Īnd that additional research could lead to benefits for humans. ![]() Selena Sagan, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in this study, says that this study reveals "a novel strategy viruses use to hide from our antiviral defense." She's interested in whether other RNA viruses do the same: "If hep C is doing it, what other viruses are using a similar strategy?" The study shows that this cap could also play a role in enabling the virus's RNA to multiply in infected cells and spread throughout the body. Unchecked, it can replicate and infect the liver. ![]() With this handy mask, hep C fools the immune system into ignoring it. What's extra sneaky is that hep C uses something that's already in our body as its cap - a molecule known as FAD. The researchers don't know exactly how the hep C virus does this - one of the many mysteries about viruses. This new study shows that when your body is infected with hep C, the virus attracts a cap for its RNA – like the protective cap on the body's own RNA. Since RNA viruses lack caps, once they invade our body, says Vinther, the cell control alarm bells go off and the immune system is activated to kill the foreign RNA. These caps have various functions, including sending a message to our immune system: Leave us alone! Do not destroy us! RNA molecules in our body have a protecting group of DNA building blocks at their end known as a cap. Other RNA viruses include measles, mumps, influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Hepatitis C is an RNA virus – one of several viruses that rely on their RNA instead of their DNA to carry information needed to take over the body's healthy cells. So how does hep C do it? The virus uses standard villain fare to evade detection: a mask. A new study led by Vinther and published in the journal Nature offers an explanation. "We are trying to defeat them and they are trying to avoid being detected and defeated."īut scientists didn't know how hep C pulled off its hiding trick. "We have this constant battle going on with these viruses," says Jeppe Vinther, a professor of biology at the University of Copenhagen who studies hepatitis C. That gives hep C plenty of time to replicate and spread throughout healthy liver cells, leading to a chronic case of hepatitis C.
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