Inhibition of hepatitis E virus replication by proteasome inhibitor is nonspecific

The ubiquitin proteasome system plays important role in virus infection. A previous study showed that the proteasome inhibitor MG132 could potentially affect hepatitis E virus (HEV) replication. In this study, we found that MG132 could inhibit HEV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication-related luciferase activity in subgenomic models. Furthermore, treatment with MG132 in a HEV infectious model resulted in a dramatic reduction in the intracellular level of HEV RNA. Surprisingly, MG132 concurrently inhibited the expression of a luciferase gene used as a control as well as a wide range of host genes. Consistently, the total cellular RNA and protein content was concurrently reduced by MG132 treatment, suggesting a nonspecific antiviral effect.