Two for one: viral helicases as an ideal target for HIV and HCV co-infection

Helicase enzyme is responsible for the unwinding of complementary nucleic acid strands, which is one of the preliminary steps in DNA replication. They are crucial for replication of an organism, including viruses. HCV and HIV are two clinically significant pathogens, responsible for millions of infections and deaths worldwide. Due to similar transmission routes, these viruses can establish co-infection in an individual. Individually, these infections are difficult to treat, however, in case of co-infection, the treatment becomes more difficult.

Source: Medical Hypotheses - May 12, 2018 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Muhammad Faraz Anwar, Shamshad Zarina, Syed Ali, Syed Hani Abidi Source Type: research