Impact of IL28 Genotypes and Modeling the Interactions of HCV Core Protein on Treatment of Hepatitis C

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Impact of IL28 Genotypes and Modeling the Interactions of HCV Core Protein on Treatment of Hepatitis C Tayebeh Hashempour1 · Behzad Dehghani2 · Zahra Musavi1 · Javad Moayedi1 · Zahra Hasanshahi2 · Jamal Sarvari3 · Seyed Younes Hosseini3 · Ebrahim Hosseini4 · Maryam Moeini5 · Shahin Merat6 Received: 28 May 2019 / Revised: 2 May 2020 / Accepted: 1 July 2020 © International Association of Scientists in the Interdisciplinary Areas 2020

Abstract Background  Mutations in the core CVR region of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and polymorphisms of interleukin 28B (IL28B) are associated with progression toward liver disease and in response to therapy. In addition, interactions of the core protein with some cell interactors can be related to HCV liver damage. Aim  This study aimed to evaluate the effect of core mutations as well as IL28B polymorphism on clinical features, sustained virological response (SVR) in 1a and 3a HCV genotypes amongst Iranian HCV infected patients, and the impact of mutations on core protein properties, antigenic properties, and interactions with HCV inhibitors, using several bioinformatics tools. Methods  Seventy-nine Iranian patients infected with HCV genotypes 1a and 3a and diagnosed with chronic active hepatitis were examined. Plasma viral RNA was used to amplify and sequence the HCV Core gene; also, HCV viral load, molecular genotyping, and the liver enzymes were determined for all samples. The sequencing results were analyzed by several reliable bioinformatics tools to determine the physicochemical properties, B cell epitopes, post-modification changes, and secondary/ tertiary structures; and evaluate the interactions with 4 drugs by docking method. Result  There were some substitutions in core CVR related to ALT and AST enzymes that can lead to HCV advanced liver disease. The most prevalent mutation for 3a genotypes was a substitution in aa 162 (I to V) while we did not find any mutation in 1a responder group. Polymorphism of the rs8099917 showed that the majority of patients had TG heterozygous and carried CT genotype at the rs12979860. Analysis indicated several phosphorylation sits for core protein as well as two important disulfide bonds. Immunogenic prediction showed that core protein can strongly induce the immune system. Interaction analysis, using the docking method revealed two potential interactors (Vitronectin and SETD2). Conclusion  Generally, mutations in all core CVR regions in all patients showed a relationship between such substitutions and higher liver enzymes that can result in advanced liver disease progression in HCV infected patients. Furthermore, immunoinformatics analysis determined the possible immunodominant regions to be considered in HCV vaccine designs. Furthermore, no association between SVR and IL28B polymorphism was shown. In silico analysis determined modification sites, structures, B-cell epitopes of core protein and interactions with several interactors can lead to persistent HCV infection in the cell and the progress of liver diseases. Key