Role of scavenger receptor class B type I in cell entry of hepatitis C virus / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) cell entry is a multi step process mediated by various receptors. Among these receptors, the scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) is the one considered to be the first to interact with HCV. SR-B I can bind to HCV envelope glycoprotein E2, in which the hyper variable region 1 (HVR1) segment locating at the N-terminus of E2 protein plays a critical role. The interaction of SR-BI with HCV can not only mediate HCV cell entry, but also attenuate neutralization activity of antibodies against E2 protein, contributing to the HCV immune evasion. Therefore, studying the mechanism of HCV/SR-B I interaction during cell entry can help to identify important targets in the initial step of viral infection, contributing to prevention and treatment of HCV infection. This paper reviews the current knowledge on the biological characteristics of SR-B I and mechanisms of HCV cell entry mediated by virus/SR-B I interaction.