Figure 4.

Immunomodulation by HCV p7. The viroporin p7 has recently been shown to contribute to immune evasion during HCV infection. p7, which localizes to the ER, has been shown to induce ERK and STAT3 phosphorylation which leads to subsequent SOCS3 upregulation. SOCS3 has been shown to attenuate TNF-α mediated NF-κB activation by targeting the signaling intermediate TRAF2. Thus, p7 inhibits the induction of NF-κB regulated genes, including pro-inflammatory cytokines. HCV p7 is also expressed at the mitochondria where it inhibits IFI6-16 leading to destabilization of the mitochondrial membrane and the induction of apoptosis.