PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT FOR HEPATITIS C CONTAINING ABI1 EXPRESSION OR ACTIVITY INHIBITOR

摘要

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and treating hepatitis C and, more specifically, to a composition containing an inhibitor suppressing the expression or activation of Abelson interactor 1 (Abi1). As a result of identifying cell proteins interacting with a HCV NS5A protein by using a protein microarray technique by inventors in the present invention, about 90 cell proteins were identified to interact with the HCV NS5A protein. Abi1 was selected from the partners of the NS5A. The binding between the HCV NS5A and Abi1 was confirmed by using an in vitro pull-down assay and a common precipitation analysis. Abi1 is essential for replication of HCV. In addition, EGF-induced Erk and Efr1 activation was inhibited by the NS5A, and the inhibitory effect was mediated by the Abi1 protein. Knockdown of the Abi1 expression impaired the replication of HCV, while overexpression of the Abi1 increased proliferation of HCV. In summary, these results support that HCV forces the Abi1 in host cells to modulate a MEK/ERK signaling pathway for proliferation. Therefore, a substance inhibiting the activation or expression of the Abi1 is useful as a prophylactic agent or a therapeutic agent for hepatitis C by inhibiting the proliferation of HCV.