The identification of two proteins that grant the hepatitis C virus (HCV) access to host cells may provide new targets for potential drugs. At present, treatments for the virus, which causes liver disease, are limited.

Thomas Baumert at the University of Strasbourg in France and his team screened human liver cells for proteins that regulate HCV entry. They focused on two cell-surface proteins, EGFR and EphA2, which are key players in a regulatory network linked to HCV entry and are abundant in liver cells. Blocking the two proteins with inhibitors reduced HCV infection of cells in culture. In mice with HCV and transplanted human liver cells, an EGFR inhibitor slowed the rate of infection.

Nature Med. doi:10.1038/nm.2341 (2011)