EIF4H and YBX1 are essential host factors for hepatitis E virus replication and pathogenesis - PubMed
11 hours ago
- #Antiviral targets
- #Hepatitis E virus
- #Host factors
- EIF4H and YBX1 identified as essential host factors for Hepatitis E virus (HEV) replication and pathogenesis.
- Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screen used to discover these factors in a replicon system.
- Knockout of EIF4H or YBX1 impaired replication of multiple HEV genotypes without affecting other viruses like SARS-CoV-2, HBV, HCV, or Zika.
- EIF4H interacts with HEV ORF1 via its methyltransferase-Y-papain-like protease region, affecting replication complex composition.
- YBX1 is required for ORF1 proteolytic processing, essential for functional replication machinery assembly.
- EIF4H and YBX1 knockout rats showed resistance to HEV-C1 infection, reduced viral loads, and protection from liver pathology.
- Findings suggest EIF4H and YBX1 as potential targets for antiviral interventions against HEV.