Subproteomic analysis of the cellular proteins associated with the 3′ untranslated region of the hepatitis C virus genome in human liver cells

The 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is believed to function in the initiation and regulation of viral RNA replication and protein translation by interacting with the viral and host components. To examine host proteins interacting with the HCV 3′UTR, biotinylated 3′(+)UTR, and its reverse complementary 5′(−)UTR were used in RNA pull-down assay. Cellular proteins from Huh7 cells pulled down by biotinylated RNAs were identified by 2DE/MALDI-TOF MS and 1DE/LC/MS methods. Totally, 10 proteins could be identified from both methods, among which six bound specifically to the 3′(+)UTR, three proteins to the 5′(−)UTR only, and one protein bound to both. Three identified proteins (PCBP2, G3BP1, and DDX1) were selected for further investigation into their possible roles on the HCV replication. Differently regulating effects on HCV replication by siRNA-mediated silencing of these proteins were observed, indicating a complex role of 3′UTR binding proteins on HCV replication.