Premium
Oncostatin M synergistically inhibits HCV RNA replication in combination with interferon‐α
Author(s) -
Ikeda Masanori,
Mori Kyoko,
Ariumi Yasuo,
Dansako Hiromichi,
Kato Nobuyuki
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.03.054
Subject(s) - oncostatin m , hepatitis c virus , interferon , cytokine , interleukin 6 , virology , chemistry , rna , hepatocyte , cell culture , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , virus , cancer research , in vitro , immunology , biochemistry , gene , genetics
Oncostatin M (OSM), a member of the interleukin‐6 family, possesses various functions, including hepatocyte differentiation and suppression of melanoma cell growth. Here, we report anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity of OSM as a new function of this cytokine. OSM possessed marked anti‐HCV activity (50% effective concentration: 0.71 ng/ml) in an HCV RNA replication cell culture system. The most striking finding is that OSM exhibited synergistic inhibitory activity on interferon (IFN)‐α even at a low concentration with weak anti‐HCV activity, such as 25 pg/ml. OSM is a candidate anti‐HCV reagent and may improve the current IFN therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C.