Identification of key candidates associated with chronic hepatitis E viral infection.

An in-depth understanding of chronic hepatitis E viral infection is of interest as the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unexplored. An analysis of mRNA expression profile revealed a total of 69, 157 and 411 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEG) for mild, moderate and severe hepatitis E viral infection, respectively. We found 8 up-regulated genes BATF2, OASL, IFI44L, IFIT3, RSAD2, IFIT1, RASGRP3 and IFI27 having association with persistent hepatitis E viral infection. Of these genes, 6 (OASL, IFI27, IFIT1, IFIT3, RSAD2 and IFI44L) were in protein-protein interaction network and at each stage of infection. Thus, this data provides insights into key genes and linked pathways which could be targeted to offer better interventions for chronic hepatitis E viral infection.