Targeting a specific gene could be key to treating hepatitis B, C and D microbiologystudy

Chronic viral hepatitis is the long-term inflammation of the liver. It is caused by hepatitis B, C or D virus particles. Even though these viruses replicate differently, they all use the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi pathway for replication, where the TM5SF2 gene is located.

It is estimated that 450,000 Australians are currently living with chronic viral hepatitis, and approximately 1,000 Australians will lose their life to this disease each year.

Professor Mark Douglas from the Storr Liver Center at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR), senior author of this study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, says that early investigations into viruses that infect the liver led to a promising finding.

“Our research team knew that the TM6SF2 gene is associated with fatty liver disease. It is involved in the transportation of fat out of the liver and into the bloodstream. This made us wonder if the gene might also play a similar role in the transportation of virus particles out of the liver.

“We thought that, if it is involved in the spread of virus particles, particularly hepatitis B, C and D, then targeting the gene could potentially stop the spread and might essentially provide a cure for these diseases,” explains Professor Douglas.

The team conducted an initial study of people living with hepatitis B and found that when TM6SF2 becomes less effective, the amount of a particular hepatitis B virus protein (HBsAg) in the blood is also reduced.

Lead author of the study, Associate Professor Thomas Tu from the Storr Liver Center at WIMR says, “This led us to the next step of the study, examining hepatitis B, C and D cells to see if reducing the effectiveness of TM6SF2 had the same effect on all three viruses.

“In the lab, we knocked down the TM6SF2 gene and again found that fewer hepatitis B, C and D virus particles were leaving the liver.”

Associate Professor Tu says the next step for this research is to discover ways to knock down this gene, and then to develop this into a treatment that is safe and effective in humans.

“While there is still a long way to go, this finding holds a lot of promise. Ultimately, one drug that targets all three viruses at the same time would be life-changing for the millions of people globally who are living with chronic viral hepatitis.”

Provided by
Westmead Institute for Medical Research