Molecular Virology

Research interest

The Molecular Virology group contributes from a basic science perspective to the knowledge of clinical problems related to virus infections, and specifically hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, since 2006. For this reason, we are in closed contact with physicians from the Hospital General Universitario de Albacete (Infectious Diseases, and Digestive departments) that contribute the clinical point of view in the framework of a collaborative study.

Virología Molecular

The main objective of the Molecular Virology group is to understand the molecular mechanisms of the hepatitis C virus genome replication that allow us to identify new compounds with antiviral activity.

We have established the following objectives for the next years:

Clone, over-express and purify the HCV polymerase (NS5B protein), either wild type or mutants generated by site-directed mutagenesis, as well as patient-derived polymerases.
Analyse the polymerase features (initiation and elongation activities, template and template/primer binding, etc.) of the proteins described above.
Determine the relationships between polymerase function and polymerase structural elements.
Determine the polymerase domains involved in protein-protein interactions during polymerase oligomerization.

We have also interested in the molecular biology of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from other positive strand RNA viruses including hepatitis E virus (HEV).

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Funding

Título: Variability in the mutation rate of RNA viruses
Entidad financiadora: Unión Europea
I.P.: Responsable en la UCLM: Antonio Mas (I.P.: Rafael Sanjuán, UV)
Duración, desde: 01/01/2012 hasta: 31/12/2017
Título: Análisis funcional de la interacción entre factores celulares y la polimerasa NS5B del virus de la hepatitis c
Entidad financiadora: Consejería de Eduación y Ciencia
I.P.: Antonio Mas López
Duración, desde: 01/04/2010 hasta: 31/03/2013
Título: Interacciones proteína-proteína como moduladoras de la transición inacción-elongación en el ciclo de síntesis de la ARN polimerasa de virus de la hepatitis C
Entidad financiadora: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
I.P.: Antonio Mas López
Duración, desde: 01/07/2010 hasta: 30/06/2012

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Publications

García-Cano J, Ambroise G, Pascual-Serra R, Carrión MC, Serrano-Oviedo L, Ortega-Muelas M, Cimas FJ, Sabater S, Ruiz-Hidalgo MJ, Sanchez Perez I, Mas A, Jalón FA, Vazquez A, Sánchez-Prieto R. Exploiting the potential of autophagy in cisplatin therapy: A new strategy to overcome resistance. Oncotarget. 2015 Jun 20;6(17):15551-65. (A).
López-Jiménez AJ, Clemente-Casares P, Sabariegos R, Llanos-Valero M, Bellón-Echeverría I, Encinar JA, Kaushik-Basu N, Froeyen M, Mas A. Hepatitis C virus polymerase-polymerase contact interface: Significance for virus replication and antiviral design. Antiviral Res. 2014;108:14-24. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2014.04.009. (A).
Hillung J, Ruiz-Lopez E, Bellon-Echeverria I, Clemente-Casares P, Mas A. Characterization of the interaction between HCV NS5B and the human estrogen receptor alpha. J Gen Virol. 2012. 93[pt 4]: 780-785. [Epub 2011]. (A).
Ojosnegros S, Perales C, Mas A, Domingo E. Quasispecies as a matter of fact: Viruses and beyond. Virus Res. 2011. 162[1-2]: 203-215. (A).
Sabariegos R, Mas A, Clemente-Casares P. Population Diversity and its Relationship with Infectious and Tumor Diseases. Current Immunology Reviews. 2011. 7: 50-56. (A).
Clemente-Casares P, López-Jiménez AJ, Bellón-Echeverría I, Encinar JA, Martínez-Alfaro E, Pérez-Flores R, Mas A. De Novo Polymerase Activity and Oligomerization of Hepatitis C Virus RNA-Dependent RNA-Polymerases from Genotypes 1 to 5. PLoS One. 2011. 6[4]: 18515. (A).
Bellón-Echeverría I, López-Jiménez AJ, Clemente-Casares P, Mas A. Monitoring Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase oligomerization by a FRET-based in vitro system. Antiviral Res. 2010. 87[1]: 57-66. (A).
Más A, López-Galíndez C, Cacho I, Gómez J, Martínez MA. Unfinished Stories on Viral Quasispecies and Darwinian Views of Evolution. J Mol Biol. 2010. 397[4]: 865-877. (A).
Rodriguez-Manzano J, Miagostovich M, Hundesa A, Clemente-Casares P, Carratala A, Buti M, Jardi R, Girones R. Analysis of the evolution in the circulation of HAV and HEV in Eastern Spain by testing urban sewage samples. J Water Health. 2010. 8[2]: 346-354. [Epub 2009]. (A).
Clemente-Casares P, Rodriguez-Manzano J, Girones R. Hepatitis E virus genotype 3 and sporadically also genotype 1 circulate in the population of Catalonia, Spain. J Water Health. 2009. 7[4]: 664-673. (A).
Aceves-Luquero CI, Agarwal A, Callejas-Valera JL, Arias-González L, Esparís-Ogando A, del Peso Ovalle L, Bellón-Echeverria I, de la Cruz-Morcillo MA, Galán Moya EM, Moreno Gimeno I, Gómez JC, Deininger MW, Pandiella A, Sánchez Prieto R. ERK2, but not ERK1, mediates acquired and ‘de novo’ resistance to imatinib mesylate: implication for CML therapy. PLoS One. 2009. 4[7]: 604-607. (A).
Alves-Rodrigues I, Mas A, Diez J. Xenopus Xp54 and human RCK/p54 helicases functionally replace yeast Dhh1p in Brome Mosaic Virus RNA replication. J Virol. 2007. 81: 4378-4380. (A).
Mas A, Jordán J. La gripe aviar. ¿La primera pandemia del siglo XXI?. Anales de la Academia de Farmacia Santa Maria de España (Murcia). 2006. : 673-700. (A).