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Genetic variant protects against hepatitis C
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Author:  packy [ Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:31 am ]
Post subject:  Genetic variant protects against hepatitis C

http://sciencenordic.com/genetic-varian ... epatitis-c

By: Ida Kvittingen

Excerpt

A Nordic study has shown that one in three Northern Europeans were born with a genetic variation that protects them from the potentially fatal viral disease hepatitis C.

Scientists from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland have studied the genes of nearly 400 individuals who were treated for hepatitis C.

They were aware that a third of the Nordic population carries a defect in the gene called ITPA.

Now they know that people with this variant benefit more from hepatitis C treatment than those witho
Tricking the virus

Thus, the variant in the gene makes it more likely that these people will full regain their health. Even when medications kill the virus, the infection turns up again in about one-fifth of all hepatitis C patients.

But patients with th variation had five times less risk of a relapse after treatment.

The ITPA variation causes the enzyme known as ITPase to malfunction.

This enzyme “clears away” genetic building blocks which our cells are not using.

The defective version of the enzyme is not fully up to its clean-up task. This allows more unstable building blocks to circulate and be requisitioned by the hepatitis C virus.

The virus is “tricked” into using these faulty building blocks in its own gene sequences.

The scientists think this weakens the virus, causing instability and making it more susceptible to antiviral medications.

So the drugs work better.

More at link

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