Host RNA incorporation linked to chronic hepatitis E infection

Published

1 year ago

June 11, 2024

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Jun 10 2024 Ruhr University Bochum

If the virus incorporates host genetic segments into its genome, the infection may become chronic.

Why does Hepatitis E become chronic in some patients, and why do medications not work? To find out, an international research team led by scientists from Bochum observed a patient with chronic Hepatitis E infection over a year. Repeated sequencing of the virus RNA showed that the virus incorporated various parts of the host's messenger RNA into its genome. This resulted in a replication advantage, which may have contributed to the infection becoming chronic. The so-called insertion of host RNA can possibly predict the transition of an acute infection to a chronic condition."

Dr. Daniel Todt, head of the Computational Virology research group, Department of Medical and Molecular Virology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

The researchers report in the journal Nature Communications on June 6, 2024. Sequencing of the virus population

Around 20 million people worldwide contract Hepatitis E every year. Normally, the infection heals without consequences, but it can be life-threatening for pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems. In some cases, it becomes chronic. There are no specific effective medications. The broad-spectrum antiviral drug Ribavirin is also used against Hepatitis E, but it does not always work.

How can the virus evade the immune system? Why does the infection become chronic and not heal? The researchers wanted to find out and analyzed for the first time all virus populations of a chronically infected patient over a period of more than a year. They examined more than 180 individual sequences from blood samples in detail. Replication in cell culture benefits from host RNA

"The Hepatitis E virus has a so-called hypervariable region in its genetic information, into which it can incorporate various RNA sequences from host cells," describes Daniel Todt. His team was able to show that the composition of this region changed massively during the observation period. Additionally, many different compositions occurred simultaneously. In cell culture experiments, it was shown that incorporating host RNA provided a replication advantage: The altered viruses could replicate better than others. "We assume that this is partly responsible for the infection becoming chronic and the therapy failing," says Daniel Todt. Related StoriesNew RNA therapy zilebesiran shows promise in lowering blood pressureEvaluating the efficacy of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus-induced keratitisAging affects immune response and virus dynamics in COVID-19 patients, study finds

The researchers examined the composition of the host RNA incorporated into the virus to determine if there were any common features characterizing the gene segments. "However, we could not detect any meaningful similarities," says Todt. The incorporated gene sequences are predominantly those that are very common in host cells, indicating a random selection.

"Possibly, during Hepatitis E infection, a race between the virus and the immune system occurs in the body," speculates Daniel Todt. If the virus manages to incorporate host RNA before the immune system successfully combats the infection, it may lead to a chronic course. "Host RNA in the viral genome could, in any case, serve as a biomarker in the acute phase of an infection, indicating early on that it is likely to become chronic."

The researchers plan to expand their studies to larger cohorts of patients. Funding

The work was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the junior research group "VirBio" and by the German Research Foundation. Further funding came from the Federal Ministry of Health, the German Centre for Infection Research and the National Institutes of Health. Source:

Ruhr University BochumJournal reference:

Wißing, M. H., et al. (2024). Genetic determinants of host- and virus-derived insertions for hepatitis E virus replication. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49219-8.

UK

Fireball at Southend Airport after small plane crashes

Published

5 hours ago

July 13, 2025

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Fireball at Southend Airport after small plane crashes

A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.

Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.

Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.

A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.

“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.

“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”

It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.

One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.

John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.

“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”

Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.

Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.

Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.

Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.

Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.

Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.

David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.

“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”

Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”

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World

Meredith Kercher’s killer faces new trial over sexual assault allegations

Published

5 hours ago

July 13, 2025

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Meredith Kercher's killer faces new trial over sexual assault allegations

The man convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher has been charged with sexual assault against an ex-girlfriend.

Rudy Guede, 38, was the only person who was definitively convicted of the murder of 21-year-old Ms Kercher in Perugia, Italy, back in 2007.

He will be standing trial again in November after an ex-girlfriend filed a police report in the summer of 2023 accusing Guede of mistreatment, personal injury and sexual violence.

Guede, from the Ivory Coast, was released from prison for the murder of Leeds University student Ms Kercher in 2021, after having served about 13 years of a 16-year sentence.

Since last year – when this investigation was still ongoing – Guede has been under a “special surveillance” regime, Sky News understands, meaning he was banned from having any contact with the woman behind the sexual assault allegations, including via social media, and had to inform police any time he left his city of residence, Viterbo, as ruled by a Rome court.

Guede has been serving a restraining order and fitted with an electronic ankle tag.

The Kercher murder case, in the university city of Perugia, was the subject of international attention.

Ms Kercher, a 21-year-old British exchange student, was found murdered in the flat she shared with her American roommate, Amanda Knox.

The Briton’s throat had been cut and she had been stabbed 47 times.