Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40866424›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Hepatitis C virus NS3 helicase contributes to (-) strand RNA synthesis.

Philipp Ralfs, Stéphane Bressanelli, Lina M Günter, Alexander Gabel, Paul Rothhaar, Kyle J Price, Thibault Tubiana, Mathias Munschauer, David N Frick, Volker Lohmann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Philipp RalfsDepartment Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-8228-9188
Stéphane BressanelliUniversité Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0921-6727
Lina M GünterHelmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-1344-8844
Alexander GabelHelmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8064-3289
Paul RothhaarDepartment Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9281-0371
Kyle J PriceUniversity of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Thibault TubianaUniversité Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6490-4602
Mathias MunschauerDepartment Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6143-4548
David N FrickUniversity of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Volker LohmannDepartment Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg, Germany. Volker.lohmann@med.uni-heidelberg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8719-7608

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 272983813Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 519777725Helmholtz Association VH-NG-128
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many positive strand RNA viruses encode helicases, but their distinct functions in viral replication cycles is poorly understood. Here, we identify a mutation in the helicase domain of HCV non-structural protein 3 (NS3h), D1467G, which specifically affects (-) strand synthesis, phenocopying mutations in the 3' untranslated region of the genome. D1467G does not impair helicase activity in vitro or the binding of NS3h to critical cis-acting RNA elements, but reduces the interaction of NS3h and NS5B polymerase, potentially contributing to defective (-) strand synthesis. AlphaFold predictions of complexes between NS3h, RNA and/or NS5B suggest that NS3h both remodels the cis-acting RNA elements and unwinds the terminal stem-loop of the HCV genome rendering the template accessible for de novo initiation of (-) strand synthesis by NS5B. Overall, our study provides evidence for a defined function of a viral helicase in (-) strand genome synthesis of a positive strand RNA virus.

Indexed as

HepacivirusRNA HelicasesRNA, ViralViral Nonstructural Proteins3' Untranslated RegionsDEAD-box RNA HelicasesGenome, ViralHumansMutationNucleoside-TriphosphataseProtein BindingRNA-Dependent RNA PolymeraseSerine EndopeptidasesViral ProteasesVirus Replication3' Untranslated RegionsDEAD-box RNA HelicasesNS3 protein, hepatitis C virusNS-5 protein, hepatitis C virusNucleoside-TriphosphataseRNA-Dependent RNA PolymeraseRNA HelicasesRNA, ViralSerine EndopeptidasesViral Nonstructural ProteinsViral Proteases

Identifiers

PMID40866424
PMCPMC12391449

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.