HEPATITIS CThere is a disease spreading around the world called hepatitis C. It affects the liver and can cause liver failure. This disease is caused by a virus called hepatitis C virus, also known as HCV. Around 32,000 people are affected by this disease every year in the United States region alone. Some It is a disease with many symptoms and many causes. These symptoms include bruising, stomach upset and fever. These are just some of the many symptoms caused by the virus. The nature of the causative agent of hepatitis C is determined by many factors. The biological data of this disease are filled with a lot of information. It is estimated that more than 180 million people have contracted hepatitis C, and this number is increasing. When the hepatitis C virus becomes chronic, that's when it becomes serious. Chronic hepatitis C will scar the liver. Chronic hepatitis C is usually detected during a check-up because it has no symptoms. Usually, 55 to 85 percent of people with hepatitis C will become infected with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis C activates the immune system. The immune system fights very hard to get rid of this virus. But it is very difficult for the immune system to eliminate this virus. UT Southwestern scientists say RIG-I and LGP2 turn the immune response to hepatitis C on and off. RIG-I and LGP2 are two proteins that are part of the body's immune system to kill the virus that has infected the body. RIG-I allows the body to generate an immune response when a virus enters. Once the virus is gone, LGP2 will deactivate RIG-I signals. “This knowledge will help us design drugs that mimic viral effects on these proteins to either activate a host's immune response or shut it down,” Dr. Michael said. Gale, associate...... middle of paper...... Home page. Internet. March 30, 2010. “Hepatitis C: MedlinePlus.” National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Internet. March 21, 2010. “The nature of hepatitis C virus-specific cellular immune responses in HIV co-infected individuals.” » NLM gateway search. Internet. March 30, 2010. "NIH - Hepatitis C." NIH - Health Information. Internet. March 29, 2010. "Virus-host cell interactions during hepatitis C virus RNA replication: impact of polyprotein expression on the cellular transcriptome and association of the cell cycle with viral RNA synthesis - - Scholle et al. 78 (3): 1513 --. Internet. March 24. 2010. .