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Palazzotti D, Sguilla M, Manfroni G, Cecchetti V, Astolfi A, Barreca ML. Small Molecule Drugs Targeting Viral Polymerases. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:661. [PMID: 38794231 PMCID: PMC11124969 DOI: 10.3390/ph17050661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Small molecules that specifically target viral polymerases-crucial enzymes governing viral genome transcription and replication-play a pivotal role in combating viral infections. Presently, approved polymerase inhibitors cover nine human viruses, spanning both DNA and RNA viruses. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of these licensed drugs, encompassing nucleoside/nucleotide inhibitors (NIs), non-nucleoside inhibitors (NNIs), and mutagenic agents. For each compound, we describe the specific targeted virus and related polymerase enzyme, the mechanism of action, and the relevant bioactivity data. This wealth of information serves as a valuable resource for researchers actively engaged in antiviral drug discovery efforts, offering a complete overview of established strategies as well as insights for shaping the development of next-generation antiviral therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Maria Letizia Barreca
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy; (D.P.); (M.S.); (G.M.); (V.C.); (A.A.)
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Janssen HL, Lim YS, Kim HJ, Sowah L, Tseng CH, Coffin CS, Elkhashab M, Ahn SH, Nguyen AH, Chen D, Wallin JJ, Fletcher SP, McDonald C, Yang JC, Gaggar A, Brainard DM, Fung S, Kim YJ, Kao JH, Chuang WL, Brooks AE, Dunbar PR. Safety, pharmacodynamics, and antiviral activity of selgantolimod in viremic patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. JHEP Rep 2024; 6:100975. [PMID: 38274492 PMCID: PMC10808922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2023.100975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background & Aims Novel finite therapies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are needed, since lifelong treatment is usually required with current available oral antivirals. This phase II study (NCT03615066) evaluated the safety, pharmacodynamics, and antiviral activity of selgantolimod (a Toll-like receptor 8 agonist [TLR8]) with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Methods Viremic patients with CHB not receiving treatment were stratified by HBeAg status and randomized 2:2:1 to TAF 25 mg/day with selgantolimod 3 mg orally once weekly (QW), selgantolimod 1.5 mg QW, or placebo. Combination therapy continued until week (W)24, followed by TAF monotherapy until W48; patients then discontinued TAF and were followed until W96 (treatment-free follow-up [TFFU] period). The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion with ≥1 log10 IU/ml HBsAg decline at W24. Results Sixty-seven patients received study drug; 27 were followed during TFFU. Nausea, headache, vomiting, fatigue, and dizziness were the most common adverse events. Most adverse events were grade 1. Alanine aminotransferase flares were not observed up to W48. Four patients experienced alanine aminotransferase and hepatitis flares during TFFU; all had HBV DNA increases. Selgantolimod increased serum cytokines and chemokines and redistributed several circulating immune cell subsets. No patients achieved the primary efficacy endpoint. Mean HBsAg changes were -0.12, -0.16, and -0.12 log10 IU/ml in the selgantolimod 3 mg, selgantolimod 1.5 mg, and placebo groups, respectively, at W48; HBV DNA declined in all groups by ≥2 log10 IU/ml as early as W2, with all groups rebounding to baseline during TFFU. No HBsAg or HBeAg loss or seroconversion was observed throughout TFFU. Conclusions Selgantolimod up to 3 mg was safe and well tolerated. Pharmacodynamics and antiviral activity in viremic patients support continued study of selgantolimod in combination CHB therapies. Impact and implications Novel therapeutics for chronic HBV infection are needed to achieve a functional cure. In this study, we confirmed the safety and tolerability of selgantolimod (formerly GS-9688, a TLR8) when administered with tenofovir alafenamide over 24 weeks in viremic patients with chronic HBV infection. Overall, declines in HBsAg levels with selgantolimod treatment were modest; subgroup analysis indicated that patients with alanine aminotransferase levels greater than the upper limit of normal had significantly greater declines compared to those with normal alanine aminotransferase levels (-0.20 vs. -0.03 log10 IU/ml; p <0.001). These findings suggest a potential differential response to selgantolimod based on patients' baseline HBV-specific immune response, which should be considered in future investigations characterizing the underlying mechanisms of selgantolimod treatment and in HBV cure studies using similar immunomodulatory pathways. Clinical trial number NCT03615066 be found at https://www.gileadclinicaltrials.com/transparency-policy/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry L. Janssen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Young-Suk Lim
- Asan Medical Centre, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyung Joon Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | | | - Cheng-Hao Tseng
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, E-Da Cancer Hospital/I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Carla S. Coffin
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Sang Hoon Ahn
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | | | - Diana Chen
- Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Scott Fung
- Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yoon Jun Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jia-Horng Kao
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Long Chuang
- Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Anna E. Brooks
- School of Biological Sciences, and Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - P. Rod Dunbar
- School of Biological Sciences, and Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Krings A, Schmidt D, Kollan C, Meixenberger K, Bannert N, Münstermann D, Tiemann C, Bremer V, Gunsenheimer-Bartmeyer B. Increasing hepatitis B vaccination coverage and decreasing hepatitis B co-infection prevalence among people with HIV-1 in Germany, 1996-2019. Results from a cohort study primarily in men who have sex with men. HIV Med 2024; 25:201-211. [PMID: 37786263 DOI: 10.1111/hiv.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Viral hepatitis co-infection among people living with HIV is known to accelerate the progression of liver disease and AIDS. An increased prevalence and incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among people living with HIV demands continuous monitoring to adapt targeted prevention strategies to reach the global goals of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat. METHODS We determined the prevalence and incidence of HBV for the years 1996-2019 from yearly blood sample testing and questionnaire reports among people living with HIV belonging to a nationwide, multicentre observational, prospective cohort study. RESULTS Among this study population of 3479 participants, the majority (87%) indicated that being men who have sex with men (MSM) was their likely HIV transmission route; 51% were recruited from Berlin. HBV prevalence for acute/chronic and resolved infections decreased from 4.1% and 45% in 1996-1999 to 1.3% and 16% in 2019, respectively. Simultaneously, participants with a serological status indicating HBV vaccination increased from 25% in 1996-1999 to 69% in 2019. Among vaccinated participants with relevant information (n = 1135), 38% received their first HBV vaccination after HIV infection. The HBV incidence rate in 565 eligible participants decreased from 6.9/100 person-years in 2004-2007 to 0.45/100 person-years in 2015. CONCLUSION Increasing vaccination coverage because of a general HBV vaccination recommendation and catch-up vaccination efforts among risk groups decreased HBV infection prevalence over time among this study population of people living with HIV, primarily MSM and from Berlin. Despite this success, the prevalence and incidence of HBV remains higher than in the general population in Germany. This emphasizes the need for continued HBV prevention by promoting HBV vaccination and HBV screening at regular intervals based on the individual risk behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Krings
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - D Schmidt
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - C Kollan
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - K Meixenberger
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - N Bannert
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - C Tiemann
- MVZ Labor Krone GbR, Bad Salzuflen, Germany
| | - V Bremer
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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Shen S, Liu W, Zeng G, Liang H, Yu X, Zhang H, Sun J, Guo H. Conditional replication and secretion of hepatitis B virus genome uncover the truncated 3' terminus of encapsidated viral pregenomic RNA. J Virol 2023; 97:e0076023. [PMID: 37754759 PMCID: PMC10617516 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00760-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The biogenesis and clinical application of serum HBV pgRNA have been a research hotspot in recent years. This study further characterized the heterogeneity of the 3' terminus of capsid RNA by utilizing a variety of experimental systems conditionally supporting HBV genome replication and secretion, and reveal that the 3' truncation of capsid pgRNA is catalyzed by cellular ribonuclease(s) and viral RNaseH at positions after and before 3' DR1, respectively, indicating the 3' DR1 as a boundary between the encapsidated portion of pgRNA for reverse transcription and the 3' unprotected terminus, which is independent of pgRNA length and the 3' terminal sequence. Thus, our study provides new insights into the mechanism of pgRNA encapsidation and reverse transcription, as well as the optimization of serum HBV RNA diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Shen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Research in South China, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Wendong Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Research in South China, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ge Zeng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Research in South China, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongyan Liang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Research in South China, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyang Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hu Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jian Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Research in South China, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Guo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Qin Y, Wang S, Wang Y, Wang Y, Tao X, Zhao H, Wang H, Yu S, Sheng R. Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening and Structural Modification of Novel Benzamide Derivatives as HBV Capsid Assembly Modulators. Biol Pharm Bull 2023; 46:1277-1288. [PMID: 37661407 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b23-00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common cause of death from liver disease worldwide. The use of capsid assembly modulators is considered a prominent strategy for the development of novel anti-HBV therapies. We performed a pharmacophore-based virtual screening strategy, and a benzamide scaffold hit, WAI-5, was chosen for further structural optimization. A series of novel HBV capsid assembly modulators (CAMs) were found. Compared with the lead hit, the representative compounds 11g and 11n exhibited a 10-fold increase in anti-HBV activity with 50% effective concentration (EC50) values of 1.74 and 1.90 µM, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyang Qin
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Shengdan Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Yunwen Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Zhejiang University of Technology
| | - Yuan Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | | | - Hui Zhao
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Hao Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Shuang Yu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Rong Sheng
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University
- Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University
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Farooqui N, Mir F, Siddiqui D, Hotwani A, Nathwani AA, Mahmood SF, Sadiq K, Kayani HA, Sheikh SA, Shah SA, Ferrand RA, Abidi SH. Phylogenetic and drug- and vaccine-resistance profiles of Hepatitis B Virus among children with HIV co-infection in Pakistan. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 105:105371. [PMID: 36179949 PMCID: PMC9614405 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION HIV-1 and hepatitis B virus (HBV) share common routes of transmission and therefore co-infection is common. In 2019, an HIV-1 outbreak that resulted in >1000 children being infected, predominantly through nosocomial transmission, occurred in Sindh, Pakistan. We conducted a phylogenetic and drug resistance analysis of the HBV Reverse Transcriptase (RT) gene in children with HIV-1 and HBV co-infection. METHODOLOGY Blood samples were collected from 321 children with HIV who were recruited as part of a study to investigate the HIV-1 outbreak. All samples were tested for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) using an ELISA assay, and positive samples were used to amplify and sequence the HBV RT gene. The phylogenetic relationship between sequences was analyzed, and drug- and vaccine- resistance mutations in the RT gene were explored. RESULTS Of 321 samples, 23% (n = 75) were positive for HBsAg on ELISA. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences revealed that 63.5% of HBV sequences were sub-genotype D1, while the rest were sub-genotype D2. Cluster analysis revealed grouping of sub-genotype D1 sequences exclusively with Pakistani sequences, while clustering of sub-genotypes D2 predominantly with global sequences. The 236Y mutation associated with resistance to tenofovir was observed in 2.8% of HBV sequences. Additionally, seven vaccine escape mutations were observed, the most common being 128 V. CONCLUSION Our study suggests ongoing transmission of HBV D1 and D2 sub-genotypes in the HIV-1 co-infected population, likely nosocomially, given common routes of HVB and HIV-1 transmission. The prevalence of major HBV drug- and vaccine-resistant mutations remains low. Surveillance for further transmissions and the possible emergence of major drug- or vaccine-resistant variants is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nida Farooqui
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Biosciences, The Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Fatima Mir
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Dilsha Siddiqui
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Aneeta Hotwani
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Apsara Ali Nathwani
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Kamran Sadiq
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Hammad Afzal Kayani
- Department of Biosciences, The Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | | | - Rashida Abbas Ferrand
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Hani Abidi
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
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Tony SM, Shaaban MEA, Mohamed AIM, Abdelrahim MEA. Effect of entecavir and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate on hepatocellular carcinoma in subjects with chronic hepatitis B: a meta-analysis. BENI-SUEF UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s43088-022-00294-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
A meta-analysis was made to assess the impact of entecavir comparison with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as nucleos(t)ide analogue on hepatic cellular carcinoma (HCC). The study had subjects with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). Systemic research was done for all studies concerned with our topic till the date (March 2022). We included 19 studies in which 27,618 subjects participated. All subjects included were diagnosed with chronic HBV at the beginning of the study. A total of 15,734 subjects from the overall 27,618 were medicated with entecavir; however, 11,884 subjects were on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) with confidence intervals (CIs) of 95% to evaluate the impact of entecavir and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate on HCC in subjects with chronic HBV by applying a dichotomous approach with a random or fixed-effect model.
Results
Chronic HBV subjects treated with entecavir showed a higher significant biochemical response than those treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.21–1.60, at p < 0.001). Also, no significant difference was detected with entecavir compared to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate concerning the occurrence of hepatic cells cancer (OR 1.26; 95% CI 0.96–1.67, p = 0.10), virological response (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.63–1.25, p = 0.49), and seroconversion (OR 1.27; 95% CI 0.76–2.14, p = 0.37).
Conclusions
The use of entecavir resulted in a significantly higher biochemical response; nevertheless, it did not show any significant variation concerning the occurrence of hepatic cancer, virological response, or serological conversion compared to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in chronic HBV subjects. So, results interpretation needs to be carried out carefully owing to the limited number of studies included in specific comparisons, e.g., serological conversion.
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Wang Y, Wang S, Tao X, Wang Y, Wu Y, Chen N, Hu C, Wang H, Yu S, Sheng R. The SAR-based development of small molecular HBV capsid assembly modulators. Med Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-022-02936-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Shaha M, Majumder S, Hossain MS, Jahan M, Rahmat R, Asma R, Islam MA, Rahman MH, Das KC, Sarker PK, Mahtab MA, Akbar SMF, Salimullah M. Identification of a novel variant of hepatitis B virus isolated from patient co-infected with hepatitis C virus. Virus Res 2022; 319:198859. [PMID: 35809696 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.198859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major public health concern worldwide. Co-infection of hepatitis B patients with other pathogens intensifies the severity of the disease. We report a novel variant of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Bangladesh isolated from a patient co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who exhibited liver cirrhosis. From 150 collected plasma samples, we sequenced HBV complete genome from one HBV-HCV co-infected patient. The complete genome was analysed using bioinformatics tools, NCBI BLAST, Geno2Pheno, and SnapGene software. The strain belongs to genotype A and subgenotype A1. Upon analysing the complete genome of this strain, we found a frameshift deletion of 54 nucleotides at the pre-S2 region, a functional regulator of HBV surface protein. Furthermore, we observed a Y126H mutation in the polymerase protein of this strain. This is the first report with such an unusual pre-S deletion event of the HBV genome in an HCV-co-infected patient associated with liver cirrhosis. These findings may inform scientists about genomic modifications in the HBV genome associated with HCV co-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Modhusudon Shaha
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Sumen Majumder
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh; Department of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Md Saddam Hossain
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh
| | - Munira Jahan
- Department of Virology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Raad Rahmat
- Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, School of Data and Sciences, BRAC University, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Ridwana Asma
- Department of Virology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Hadisur Rahman
- Molecular Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh
| | - Keshob Chandra Das
- Molecular Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh
| | - Palash Kumar Sarker
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh
| | - Mamun Al Mahtab
- Department of Hepatology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Salimullah
- Molecular Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Biotechnology, Savar, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh.
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Xi J, Cui X, Liu K, Liu H, Wang J, Hu J. Region-Specific Hepatitis B Virus Genome Exposure from Nucleocapsid Modulated by Capsid Linker Sequence and Inhibitor: Implications for Uncoating. J Virol 2022; 96:e0039922. [PMID: 35389266 PMCID: PMC9044944 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00399-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) contains a partially double-stranded, relaxed circular (RC) DNA genome synthesized within a nucleocapsid (NC) in the host cell cytoplasm. The release of RC DNA from the NC, in an ill-defined process called uncoating, to the nucleus is required for its conversion to the covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA, the viral episome serving as the transcriptional template for all viral RNAs necessary for replication and, thus, essential for establishing and sustaining viral infection. In efforts to better understand uncoating, we analyzed HBV core (HBc) mutants that show various levels of nuclear CCC DNA but little to no cytoplasmic RC DNA. We found that RC DNA could be synthesized by these mutants outside the cell, but in contrast to the wild type (wt), the mutant NCs were unable to protect RC DNA from digestion by the endogenous nuclease(s) in cellular lysates or exogenous DNase. Subcellular fractionation suggested that the major RC DNA-degrading activity was membrane associated. Digestion with sequence-specific and nonspecific DNases revealed the exposure of specific regions of RC DNA from the mutant NC. Similarly, treatment of wt NCs with a core inhibitor known to increase CCC DNA by affecting uncoating also led to region-specific exposure of RC DNA. Furthermore, a subpopulation of untreated wild type (wt) mature NCs showed site-specific exposure of RC DNA as well. Competition between RC DNA degradation and its conversion to CCC DNA during NC uncoating thus likely plays an important role in the establishment and persistence of HBV infection and has implications for the development of capsid-targeted antivirals. IMPORTANCE Disassembly of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleocapsid (NC) to release its genomic DNA, in an ill-understood process called uncoating, is required to form the viral nuclear episome in the host cell nucleus, a viral DNA essential for establishing and sustaining HBV infection. The elimination of the HBV nuclear episome remains the holy grail for the development of an HBV cure. We report here that the HBV genomic DNA is exposed in a region-specific manner during uncoating, which is enhanced by mutations of the capsid protein and a capsid-targeted antiviral compound. The exposure of the viral genome can result in its rapid degradation or, alternatively, can enhance the formation of the nuclear episome, thus having a major impact on HBV infection and persistence. These results are thus important for understanding fundamental mechanisms of HBV replication and persistence and for the ongoing pursuit of an HBV cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xiuji Cui
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kuancheng Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Haitao Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
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Management and Treatment of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: Towards Personalized Medicine. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040701. [PMID: 35458431 PMCID: PMC9027850 DOI: 10.3390/v14040701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The currently available antiviral treatments (Peg-Interferon-α and Nucleos(t)ide Analogues, NA) for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) achieve a functional cure (serum HBsAg and HDV-DNA clearance) of HBV infection in a limited number of patients. Nevertheless, the continuous pharmacological suppression of viral replication by NA halts liver disease progression lowering the risk of HCC development and improving the survival. In the near future, to fully exploit the potential of old and new drugs for HBV treatment a personalized approach to the patients will be required according to an accurate definition of their virologic, immunologic and clinical profile.
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Wang Q, Su Q, Liu B, Li Y, Sun W, Liu Y, Xue R, Chang S, Wang Y, Zhao P. Enhanced Antiviral Ability by a Combination of Zidovudine and Short Hairpin RNA Targeting Avian Leukosis Virus. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:808982. [PMID: 35250911 PMCID: PMC8889011 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.808982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian leukosis virus (ALV) causes tumor diseases in poultry and is circulating all over the world, leading to significant economic losses. In addition, mixed infection of ALV with other viruses is very common and is often reported to contaminate live vaccines. At present, there is no effective method to suppress the replication of ALV in vitro, so it is very difficult to remove it in mixed infection. As a retrovirus, the replication of ALV can be limited by reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors like zidovudine (AZT), but it also causes nontargeted cytotoxicity. To find the optimal solution in cytotoxicity and inhibition efficiency in vitro culture system, we firstly designed a combination therapy of AZT and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting ALV and then verified its efficiency by multiple biological methods. Results showed that shRNA can effectively inhibit the expression of RT and then limit the replication of ALV. The combination of AZT and shRNA can significantly improve the antiviral efficiency in viral replication, shedding, and provirus assembly under the condition of low cytotoxicity. Overall, in this study, the combination therapy of AZT and shRNA targeting ALV showed excellent antiviral performance against ALV in vitro culture system. This method can be applied to multiple scenarios, such as the removal of ALV in mixed infection or the purification of contaminated vaccine strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Qi Su
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Bowen Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yan Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Wanli Sun
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yanxue Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Ruyu Xue
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Shuang Chang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Yixin Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China.,Shandong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Tai'an, China
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13
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Tremblay T, Alcée JB, Giguère D. Protecting-group-free synthesis of clevudine ( l-FMAU), a treatment of the hepatitis B virus. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:8859-8863. [DOI: 10.1039/d2ob01814d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A new strategy for the synthesis of unnatural 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro-l-nucleoside is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Tremblay
- Département de Chimie, 1045 av. De la Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Qc, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Jessica B. Alcée
- Département de Chimie, 1045 av. De la Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Qc, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Denis Giguère
- Département de Chimie, 1045 av. De la Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Qc, Canada G1V 0A6
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14
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Khan IW, Dad Ullah MU, Choudhry M, Ali MJ, Ali MA, Lam SLK, Shah PA, Kaur SP, Lau DTY. Novel Therapies of Hepatitis B and D. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2607. [PMID: 34946209 PMCID: PMC8707465 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health issue and is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis D virus (HDV) requires the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to replicate. The eradication of HBV, therefore, can also cure HDV. The current therapies for chronic hepatitis B and D are suboptimal and cannot definitely cure the viruses. In order to achieve functional or complete cure of these infections, novel therapeutic agents that target the various sites of the viral replicative cycle are necessary. Furthermore, novel immunomodulatory agents are also essential to achieve viral clearance. Many of these new promising compounds such as entry inhibitors, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) inhibitors, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), capsid assembly modulators and nucleic acid polymers are in various stages of clinical developments. In this review article, we provided a comprehensive overview of the structure and lifecycle of HBV, the limitations of the current therapies and a summary of the novel therapeutic agents for both HDV and HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Waheed Khan
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Mati Ullah Dad Ullah
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Mina Choudhry
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Mukarram Jamat Ali
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Muhammad Ashar Ali
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Sam L. K. Lam
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Pir Ahmad Shah
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA;
| | - Satinder Pal Kaur
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
| | - Daryl T. Y. Lau
- Liver Center, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (I.W.K.); (M.U.D.U.); (M.C.); (M.J.A.); (M.A.A.); (S.P.K.)
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15
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Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic, partially double-stranded DNA virus that replicates by reverse transcription and is a major cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Reverse transcription is catalyzed by the four-domain multifunctional HBV polymerase (P) protein that has protein-priming, RNA- and DNA-dependent DNA synthesis (i.e., reverse transcriptase), and ribonuclease H activities. P also likely promotes the three strand transfers that occur during reverse transcription, and it may participate in immune evasion by HBV. Reverse transcription is primed by a tyrosine residue in the amino-terminal domain of P, and P remains covalently attached to the product DNA throughout reverse transcription. The reverse transcriptase activity of P is the target for the nucleos(t)ide analog drugs that dominate HBV treatment, and P is the target of ongoing efforts to develop new drugs against both the reverse transcriptase and ribonuclease H activities. Despite the unusual reverse transcription pathway catalyzed by P and the importance of P to HBV therapy, understanding the enzymology and structure of HBV P severely lags that of the retroviral reverse transcriptases due to substantial technical challenges to studying the enzyme. Obtaining a better understanding of P will broaden our appreciation of the diversity among reverse transcribing elements in nature, and will help improve treatment for people chronically infected with HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Clark
- Department of Microbiology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, United States
| | - Razia Tajwar
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - John E Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States.
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16
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Nakajima S, Watashi K, Kato T, Muramatsu M, Wakita T, Tamura N, Hattori SI, Maeda K, Mitsuya H, Yasutake Y, Toyoda T. Biochemical and Structural Properties of Entecavir-Resistant Hepatitis B Virus Polymerase with L180M/M204V Mutations. J Virol 2021; 95:e0240120. [PMID: 34076480 PMCID: PMC8312879 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02401-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Entecavir (ETV) is a widely used anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug. However, the emergence of resistant mutations in HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) results in treatment failure. To understand the mechanism underlying the development of ETV resistance by HBV RT, we analyzed the L180M, M204V, and L180M/M204V mutants using a combination of biochemical and structural techniques. ETV-triphosphate (ETV-TP) exhibited competitive inhibition with dGTP in both wild-type (wt) RT and M204V RT, as observed using Lineweaver-Burk plots. In contrast, RT L180M or L180M/M204V did not fit either competitive, uncompetitive, noncompetitive, or typical mixed inhibition, although ETV-TP was a competitive inhibitor of dGTP. Crystallography of HIV RTY115F/F116Y/Q151M/F160M/M184V, mimicking HBV RT L180M/M204V, showed that the F115 bulge (F88 in HBV RT) caused by the F160M mutation induced deviated binding of dCTP from its normal tight binding position. Modeling of ETV-TP on the deviated dCTP indicated that a steric clash could occur between ETV-TP methylene and the 3'-end nucleoside ribose. ETV-TP is likely to interact primarily with HBV RT M171 prior to final accommodation at the deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) binding site (Y. Yasutake, S. Hattori, H. Hayashi, K. Matsuda, et al., Sci Rep 8:1624, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19602-9). Therefore, in HBV RT L180M/M204V, ETV-TP may be stuck at M171, a residue that is conserved in almost all HBV isolates, leading to the strange inhibition pattern observed in the kinetic analysis. Collectively, our results provide novel insights into the mechanism of ETV resistance of HBV RT caused by L180M and M204V mutations. IMPORTANCE HBV infects 257 million people in the world, who suffer from elevated risks of liver cirrhosis and cancer. ETV is one of the most potent anti-HBV drugs, and ETV resistance mutations in HBV RT have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying ETV resistance have remained elusive. We propose an attractive hypothesis to explain ETV resistance and effectiveness using a combination of kinetic and structural analyses. ETV is likely to have an additional interaction site, M171, beside the dNTP pocket of HBV RT; this finding indicates that nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) recognizing multiple interaction sites within RT may effectively inhibit the enzyme. Modification of ETV may render it more effective and enable the rational design of efficient NA inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Nakajima
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan
- Choju Medical Institute, Toyohashi, Japan
| | - Koichi Watashi
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan
- Research Center for Drug and Vaccine Development, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- MIRAI, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takanobu Kato
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masamichi Muramatsu
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takaji Wakita
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Noriko Tamura
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichiro Hattori
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenji Maeda
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Mitsuya
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
- Experimental Retrovirology Section, HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yoshiaki Yasutake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sapporo, Japan
- Computational Bio Big-Data Open Innovation Laboratory, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Prifti GM, Moianos D, Giannakopoulou E, Pardali V, Tavis JE, Zoidis G. Recent Advances in Hepatitis B Treatment. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:417. [PMID: 34062711 PMCID: PMC8147224 DOI: 10.3390/ph14050417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus infection affects over 250 million chronic carriers, causing more than 800,000 deaths annually, although a safe and effective vaccine is available. Currently used antiviral agents, pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues, have major drawbacks and fail to completely eradicate the virus from infected cells. Thus, achieving a "functional cure" of the infection remains a real challenge. Recent findings concerning the viral replication cycle have led to development of novel therapeutic approaches including viral entry inhibitors, epigenetic control of cccDNA, immune modulators, RNA interference techniques, ribonuclease H inhibitors, and capsid assembly modulators. Promising preclinical results have been obtained, and the leading molecules under development have entered clinical evaluation. This review summarizes the key steps of the HBV life cycle, examines the currently approved anti-HBV drugs, and analyzes novel HBV treatment regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia-Myrto Prifti
- Department of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece; (G.-M.P.); (D.M.); (E.G.); (V.P.)
| | - Dimitrios Moianos
- Department of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece; (G.-M.P.); (D.M.); (E.G.); (V.P.)
| | - Erofili Giannakopoulou
- Department of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece; (G.-M.P.); (D.M.); (E.G.); (V.P.)
| | - Vasiliki Pardali
- Department of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece; (G.-M.P.); (D.M.); (E.G.); (V.P.)
| | - John E. Tavis
- Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA;
| | - Grigoris Zoidis
- Department of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece; (G.-M.P.); (D.M.); (E.G.); (V.P.)
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18
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Wang G, Guan J, Khan NU, Li G, Shao J, Zhou Q, Xu L, Huang C, Deng J, Zhu H, Chen Z. Potential capacity of interferon-α to eliminate covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in hepatocytes infected with hepatitis B virus. Gut Pathog 2021; 13:22. [PMID: 33845868 PMCID: PMC8040234 DOI: 10.1186/s13099-021-00421-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) and nucleot(s)ide analogs (NAs) are first-line drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. Generally, NAs target the reverse transcription of HBV pregenomic RNA, but they cannot eliminate covalently-closed-circular DNA (cccDNA). Although effective treatment with NAs can dramatically decrease HBV proteins and DNA loads, and even promote serological conversion, cccDNA persists in the nucleus of hepatocytes due to the lack of effective anti-cccDNA drugs. Of the medications currently available, only IFN-α can potentially target cccDNA. However, the clinical effects of eradicating cccDNA using IFN-α in the hepatocytes of patients with HBV are not proficient as well as expected and are not well understood. Herein, we review the anti-HBV mechanisms of IFN-α involving cccDNA modification as the most promising approaches to cure HBV infection. We expect to find indications of promising areas of research that require further study to eliminate cccDNA of HBV in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jun Guan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Nazif U Khan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guojun Li
- Institute for Hepatology, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen, 518112, Guangdong, China.,The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, 518112, Shenzhen, China
| | - Junwei Shao
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qihui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lichen Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chunhong Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jingwen Deng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haihong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
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19
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Liu Y, Chen R, Liu W, Si L, Li L, Li X, Yao Z, Liao H, Wang J, Li Y, Zhao J, Xu D. Investigation of multidrug-resistance mutations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a large cohort of chronic HBV-infected patients with treatment of nucleoside/nucleotide analogs. Antiviral Res 2021; 189:105058. [PMID: 33711338 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2021.105058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Multidrug-resistance hepatitis B virus (MDR HBV), defined as those with mutations resistant to both nucleoside analogs lamivudine/telbivudine/entecavir (LAM/LdT/ETV) and nucleotide analog adefovir (ADV), has potential to cause treatment difficulty. To clarify clinical prevalence and virological features of MDR HBV, we investigated serum samples from 28,236 chronic HBV-infected patients with treatment of nucleoside/nucleotide analogs. All patients underwent resistance testing in the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between 2007 and 2019. MDR mutations were screened by direct sequencing; MDR strains (with mutations co-located on the same viral genome) were verified by clonal sequencing (≥20 clones/sample) and subjected to phenotypic analysis if necessary. MDR mutations were detected in 0.81% (229/28,236) patients. MDR strains were verified in 83.0% (190/229) of MDR mutation-positive patients. As ETV-resistance mutation (ETVr) had additional mutation(s) on LAMr conferring more resistance, MDR mutations fell into LAMr + ADVr and ETVr + ADVr subsets. Sixteen mutation patterns of MDR strains were verified, including eight with LAMr + ADVr and eight with ETVr + ADVr. Refractory to sequential therapies of LAM/LdT/ETV and ADV were closely linked with MDR HBV development. Ten representative MDR strains (five LAMr + ADVr and five ETVr + ADVr) tested all had decrease in replication capacity compared to wild-type strains and decrease extent was positively related with the number of primary resistance on viral genome. Compared to ADV + ETV, TDF/TDF + ETV showed higher inhibitory rates on MDR HBV, especially for the five ETVr + ADVr strains (74.5%-97.6% vs. 60.2%-79.5%, all P < 0.05). This study significantly extends the knowledge on MDR HBV and has clinical implications for resistance management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Rongjuan Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Wenhui Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Lanlan Si
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Le Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Xiaodong Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Zengtao Yao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Hao Liao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Yuanhua Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of Liver Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China.
| | - Dongping Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100039, China.
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20
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Wang X, Liu X, Dang Z, Yu L, Jiang Y, Wang X, Yan Z. Nucleos(t)ide Analogues for Reducing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Gut Liver 2021. [PMID: 31158948 DOI: 10.5009/gnl18546.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims Studies have shown that nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, but it is unclear which NA is most effective. We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review comparing the efficacies of NAs in CHB patients. Methods We searched literature databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that analyzed the hepatic biochemical response, virological response, seroconversion rate, drug resistance rate, and HCC incidence rate in CHB patients treated with NAs. Meta-analyses were performed with RevMan and Stata/SE software. Results Twelve cohort studies and one RCT were selected, in which entecavir (ETV), lamivudine (LAM), telbivudine (LdT), and/or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) were evaluated in CHB patients. The meta-analysis showed that ETV was superior to LAM with regard to the HCC incidence (p<0.001), biochemical response (p=0.001), virological response (p=0.02), and drug resistance (p<0.001), and ETV was superior to LdT with regard to the virological response (p<0.001) and drug resistance (p<0.001). We found no significant difference between ETV and TDF with regard to the HCC incidence (p=0.08), biochemical response (p=0.39), virological response (p=0.31), serological conversion (p=0.38), or drug resistance (p=0.95). NA-treated patients with pre-existing cirrhosis had a 5.49 times greater incidence of HCC than those without cirrhosis (p<0.001). Conclusions ETV or TDF should be used for long-term first-line monotherapy in CHB patients according to the current guidelines. Standardized protocols are needed for future studies of ETV and TDF to facilitate conclusive comparisons. Patients with cirrhosis are at significantly elevated risk for HCC, despite the benefits of NA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhui Wang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Liu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibo Dang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihua Yu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyong Jiang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xianbo Wang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyun Yan
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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21
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Wang X, Liu X, Dang Z, Yu L, Jiang Y, Wang X, Yan Z. Nucleos(t)ide Analogues for Reducing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Gut Liver 2021; 14:232-247. [PMID: 31158948 PMCID: PMC7096226 DOI: 10.5009/gnl18546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims Studies have shown that nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, but it is unclear which NA is most effective. We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review comparing the efficacies of NAs in CHB patients. Methods We searched literature databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that analyzed the hepatic biochemical response, virological response, seroconversion rate, drug resistance rate, and HCC incidence rate in CHB patients treated with NAs. Meta-analyses were performed with RevMan and Stata/SE software. Results Twelve cohort studies and one RCT were selected, in which entecavir (ETV), lamivudine (LAM), telbivudine (LdT), and/or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) were evaluated in CHB patients. The meta-analysis showed that ETV was superior to LAM with regard to the HCC incidence (p<0.001), biochemical response (p=0.001), virological response (p=0.02), and drug resistance (p<0.001), and ETV was superior to LdT with regard to the virological response (p<0.001) and drug resistance (p<0.001). We found no significant difference between ETV and TDF with regard to the HCC incidence (p=0.08), biochemical response (p=0.39), virological response (p=0.31), serological conversion (p=0.38), or drug resistance (p=0.95). NA-treated patients with pre-existing cirrhosis had a 5.49 times greater incidence of HCC than those without cirrhosis (p<0.001). Conclusions ETV or TDF should be used for long-term first-line monotherapy in CHB patients according to the current guidelines. Standardized protocols are needed for future studies of ETV and TDF to facilitate conclusive comparisons. Patients with cirrhosis are at significantly elevated risk for HCC, despite the benefits of NA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhui Wang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Liu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibo Dang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihua Yu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyong Jiang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xianbo Wang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyun Yan
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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22
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Xi J, Luckenbaugh L, Hu J. Multiple roles of PP2A binding motif in hepatitis B virus core linker and PP2A in regulating core phosphorylation state and viral replication. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009230. [PMID: 33493210 PMCID: PMC7861550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid or core protein (HBc) contains an N-terminal domain (NTD) and a C-terminal domain (CTD) connected by a short linker peptide. HBc plays a critical role in virtually every step of viral replication, which is further modulated by dynamic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of its CTD. While several cellular kinases have been identified that mediate HBc CTD phosphorylation, there is little information on the cellular phosphatases that mediate CTD dephosphorylation. Herein, a consensus binding motif for the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit B56 was recognized within the HBc linker peptide. Mutations within this motif designed to block or enhance B56 binding showed pleiotropic effects on CTD phosphorylation state as well as on viral RNA packaging, reverse transcription, and virion secretion. Furthermore, linker mutations affected the HBV nuclear episome (the covalently closed circular or CCC DNA) differentially during intracellular amplification vs. infection. The effects of linker mutations on CTD phosphorylation state varied with different phosphorylation sites and were only partially consistent with the linker motif serving to recruit PP2A-B56, specifically, to dephosphorylate CTD, suggesting that multiple phosphatases and/or kinases may be recruited to modulate CTD (de)phosphorylation. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of PP2A could decrease HBc CTD dephosphorylation and increase the nuclear HBV episome. These results thus strongly implicate the HBc linker in recruiting PP2A and other host factors to regulate multiple stages of HBV replication. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer. The dynamic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the viral capsid protein (HBc), which are controlled by host cell protein kinases and phosphatases, play a critical role in regulating multiple stages of HBV replication. While a number of cellular kinases have been identified that mediate HBc phosphorylation, there is little information on cellular phosphatases that mediate its dephosphorylation. Herein we have identified a consensus binding motif in HBc for one of the major cellular phosphatases, the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Genetic analysis of this motif revealed that it played multiple roles in regulating CTD phosphorylation state, as well as viral RNA packaging, reverse transcription, virion secretion, and formation of the nuclear HBV episome responsible for viral persistence. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of PP2A decreased HBc dephosphorylation and increased the nuclear episome, further supporting a role of PP2A in HBc dephosphorylation and HBV persistence. These results thus suggest that HBc recruits PP2A, among other host factors, to regulate HBc phosphorylation and dephosphorylation dynamics and HBV replication and persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Laura Luckenbaugh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Ren Y, Ma Y, Cherukupalli S, Tavis JE, Menéndez-Arias L, Liu X, Zhan P. Discovery and optimization of benzenesulfonamides-based hepatitis B virus capsid modulators via contemporary medicinal chemistry strategies. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 206:112714. [PMID: 32949990 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable, but potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). It represents an important health burden, with 257 million active cases globally. Current HBV treatments using nucleos(t)ide analogs and pegylated interferons cannot alleviate the situation completely since they are unable to cure the infection or reduce the amount of viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). The HBV core protein is a small protein of 183 amino acids that participates in multiple essential functions in the HBV replicative cycle. Capsid assembly modulators that target the core protein are being developed. Sulfonamides are synthetic functional groups, found in several drugs. Herein, we provide a concise report focusing on the sulfamoylbenzamides as HBV capsid modulators, and medicinal chemistry strategies used in their design and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Ren
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Yue Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Srinivasulu Cherukupalli
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - John E Tavis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Saint Louis University Liver Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Luis Menéndez-Arias
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas & Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Xinyong Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
| | - Peng Zhan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
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24
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Shen S, Xie Z, Cai D, Yu X, Zhang H, Kim ES, Zhou B, Hou J, Zhang X, Huang Q, Sun J, Guo H. Biogenesis and molecular characteristics of serum hepatitis B virus RNA. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008945. [PMID: 33079954 PMCID: PMC7575114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
HBV is an enveloped DNA virus that replicates its DNA genome via reverse transcription of a pregenomic (pg) RNA intermediate in hepatocytes. Interestingly, HBV RNA can be detected in virus-like particles in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patient serum and has been utilized as a biomarker for intrahepatic cccDNA activity in treated patients. However, the biogenesis and molecular characteristics of serum HBV RNA remain to be fully defined. In this study, we found that the encapsidated serum HBV RNA predominately consists of pgRNA, which are detergent- and ribonuclease-resistant. Through blocking HBV DNA replication without affecting pgRNA encapsidation by using the priming-defective HBV mutant Y63D or 3TC treatment, we demonstrated that the cell culture supernatant contains a large amount of pgRNA-containing nonenveloped capsids and a minor population of pgRNA-containing virions. The formation of pgRNA-virion requires both capsid assembly and viral envelope proteins, which can be inhibited by capsid assembly modulators and an envelope-knockout mutant, respectively. Furthermore, the pgRNA-virion utilizes the multivesicular body pathway for egress, in a similar way as DNA-virion morphogenesis. Northern blotting, RT-PCR, and 3' RACE assays revealed that serum/supernatant HBV pgRNA are mainly spliced and devoid of the 3'-terminal sequences. Furthermore, pgRNA-virion collected from cells treated with a reversible HBV priming inhibitor L-FMAU was unable to establish infection in HepG2-NTCP cells. In summary, serum HBV RNA is secreted in noninfectious virion-like particle as spliced and poly(A)-free pgRNA. Our study will shed light on the molecular biology of serum HBV RNA in HBV life cycle, and aid the development of serum HBV RNA as a novel biomarker for CHB diagnosis and treatment prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Shen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Zhanglian Xie
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - Dawei Cai
- Assembly Biosciences, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Xiaoyang Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Hu Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Elena S. Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Bin Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - Jinlin Hou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyong Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Huang
- Assembly Biosciences, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Jian Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Guo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
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25
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Zhang BY, Chai DP, Wu YH, Qiu LP, Zhang YY, Ye ZH, Yu XP. Potential Drug Targets Against Hepatitis B Virus Based on Both Virus and Host Factors. Curr Drug Targets 2020; 20:1636-1651. [PMID: 31362671 DOI: 10.2174/1389450120666190729115646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis B is a very harmful and epidemic disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV). Although an effective anti-HBV vaccine is available, chronic infection poses still a huge health burden in the whole world. The present anti-HBV drugs including nucleoside analogues and interferonalpha have their limitations without exception. There is no effective drug and therapeutic method that can really and truly cure hepatitis B so far. The variability of HBV genome results in that a significant number of patients develop drug resistance during the long-term use of anti-HBV drugs. Hence, it is urgently needed to discover novel targets and develop new drugs against hepatitis B. OBJECTIVE The review aims to provide the theory support for designing of the anti-HBV innovative drugs by offering a summary of the current situation of antiviral potential targets. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Since HBV is obligate intracellular parasite, and as such it depends on host cellular components and functions to replicate itself. The targeting both virus and host might be a novel therapeutic option for hepatitis B. Accordingly, we analyse the advances in the study of the potential drug targets for anti-HBV infection, focusing on targeting virus genome, on targeting host cellular functions and on targeting virus-host proteins interactions, respectively. Meanwhile, the immune targets against chronic hepatitis B are also emphasized. In short, the review provides a summary of antiviral therapeutic strategies to target virus factors, host factors and immune factors for future designing of the innovative drug against HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Yi Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Dan-Ping Chai
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yi-Hang Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Li-Peng Qiu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Yong-Yong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Zi-Hong Ye
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Xiao-Ping Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
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26
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Mokaya J, McNaughton AL, Bester PA, Goedhals D, Barnes E, Marsden BD, Matthews PC. Hepatitis B virus resistance to tenofovir: fact or fiction? A systematic literature review and structural analysis of drug resistance mechanisms. Wellcome Open Res 2020; 5:151. [PMID: 33869791 PMCID: PMC8033640 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15992.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tenofovir (TFV) is a widely used treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. There is a high genetic barrier to the selection of TFV resistance-associated mutations (RAMs), but the distribution and clinical significance of TFV RAMs are not well understood. We here present assimilated evidence for putative TFV RAMs with the aims of cataloguing and characterising mutations that have been reported, and starting to develop insights into mechanisms of resistance. Methods: We carried out a systematic literature search in PubMed and Scopus to identify clinical, in vitro and in silico evidence of TFV resistance. We included peer-reviewed studies presenting original data regarding virological TFV breakthrough, using published methods to assess the quality of each study. We generated a list of RAMs that have been reported in association with TFV resistance, developing a 'long-list' (all reported RAMs) and a 'short-list' (a refined list supported by the most robust evidence). We assessed the potential functional and structural consequences by mapping onto the crystal structure for HIV reverse transcriptase (RT), as the structure of HBV RT has not been solved. Results: We identified a 'long-list' of 37 putative TFV RAMs in HBV RT, occurring within and outside sites of enzyme activity, some of which can be mapped onto a homologous HIV RT structure. A 'short-list' of nine sites are supported by the most robust evidence. If clinically significant resistance arises, it is most likely to be in the context of suites of multiple RAMs. Other factors including adherence, viral load, HBeAg status, HIV coinfection and NA dosage may also influence viraemic suppression. Conclusion: There is emerging evidence for polymorphisms that may reduce susceptibility to TVF. However, good correlation between viral sequence and treatment outcomes is currently lacking; further studies are essential to optimise individual treatment and public health approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolynne Mokaya
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Anna L. McNaughton
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Phillip A Bester
- Division of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service/University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Dominique Goedhals
- Division of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service/University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Eleanor Barnes
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3SY, UK
- Department of Hepatology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
- National Institutes of Health Research Health Informatics Collaborative, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2PG, UK
| | - Brian D Marsden
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford, UK
| | - Philippa C. Matthews
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3SY, UK
- National Institutes of Health Research Health Informatics Collaborative, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2PG, UK
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
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Gerasi M, Frakolaki E, Papadakis G, Chalari A, Lougiakis N, Marakos P, Pouli N, Vassilaki N. Design, synthesis and anti-HBV activity evaluation of new substituted imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines. Bioorg Chem 2020; 98:103580. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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28
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Yamamoto Y, Kakizaki M, Shimizu T, Carreras J, Chiba T, Chamoto K, Kagawa T, Aoki T, Nakamura N, Ando K, Kotani A. PD-L1 is induced on the hepatocyte surface via CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing protein 6 up-regulation by the anti-HBV drug Entecavir. Int Immunol 2020; 32:519-531. [PMID: 32219331 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B is now controllable when treated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. However, once the NRTIs are discontinued, most patients relapse, necessitating lifelong NRTIs treatment. HBV infection relapse is assumed to be caused by the persistent existence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the nuclei of infected hepatocytes. The mechanism by which cccDNA-positive hepatocytes escape immune surveillance during NRTIs treatment remains elusive. Entecavir (ETV), a commonly used NRTI, post-transcriptionally up-regulates programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), an immune checkpoint molecule, on the cell surface of hepatocytes regardless of HBV infection. Up-regulation by ETV depends on up-regulation of CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing 6, a newly identified potent regulator of PD-L1 expression on the cell surface. ETV-treated hepatic cells suppressed the activity of primary CD3 T cells and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-over-expressed Jurkat cells. Finally, ETV induces PD-L1 in primary hepatocytes infected by HBV. These results provide evidence that ETV considerably up-regulates PD-L1 on the cell surface of infected hepatocytes, which may be one of the mechanisms by which infected hepatocytes subvert immune surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Yamamoto
- Division of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Sciences, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Kakizaki
- Division of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Sciences, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Takayuki Shimizu
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Japan
| | - Joaquim Carreras
- Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Tetsuhiro Chiba
- Department of Gastroenterology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kenji Chamoto
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tatehiro Kagawa
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Taku Aoki
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Japan
| | - Naoya Nakamura
- Department of Pathology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Ando
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
| | - Ai Kotani
- Division of Hematological Malignancy, Institute of Medical Sciences, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan
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29
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Luo J, Xi J, Gao L, Hu J. Role of Hepatitis B virus capsid phosphorylation in nucleocapsid disassembly and covalently closed circular DNA formation. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008459. [PMID: 32226051 PMCID: PMC7145273 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) delivers a partially double-stranded, relaxed circular (RC) DNA genome in complete virions to the host cell nucleus for conversion to the covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA, which establishes and sustains viral infection. An overlength pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) is then transcribed from CCC DNA and packaged into immature nucleocapsids (NCs) by the viral core (HBc) protein. pgRNA is reverse transcribed to produce RC DNA in mature NCs, which are then enveloped and secreted as complete virions, or delivered to the nucleus to replenish the nuclear CCC DNA pool. RC DNA, whether originating from extracellular virions or intracellular mature NCs, must be released upon NC disassembly (uncoating) for CCC DNA formation. HBc is known to undergo dynamic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation at its C-terminal domain (CTD) to facilitate pgRNA packaging and reverse transcription. Here, two putative phosphorylation sites in the HBc N-terminal domain (NTD), S44 and S49, were targeted for genetic and biochemical analysis to assess their potential roles in viral replication. The NTD mutant that mimics the non-phosphorylated state (N2A) was competent in all steps of viral replication tested from capsid assembly, pgRNA packaging, reverse transcription, to virion secretion, except for a decrease in CCC DNA formation. On the other hand, the phosphor-mimetic mutant N2E showed a defect in the early step of pgRNA packaging but enhanced the late step of mature NC uncoating and consequently, increased CCC DNA formation. N2E also enhanced phosphorylation in CTD and possibly elsewhere in HBc. Furthermore, inhibition of the cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), which is packaged into viral capsids, could block CCC DNA formation. These results prompted us to propose a model whereby rephosphorylation of HBc at both NTD and CTD by the packaged CDK2, following CTD dephosphorylation during NC maturation, facilitates uncoating and CCC DNA formation by destabilizing mature NCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Luo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ji Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lu Gao
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Toyoda T, Wang Y, Wen Y, Tanaka Y. Fluorescence-based biochemical analysis of human hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase activity. Anal Biochem 2020; 597:113642. [PMID: 32171777 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2020.113642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although the unique mechanism by which hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase primes reverse transcription is now well-characterized, the subsequent elongation process remains poorly understood. Reverse transcriptase (RT)-RNase H sequences from polymerase amino acid 304 (the C-terminal part of spacer domain) to 843 were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified partially. RT elongation activity was investigated using the fluorescent-tagged primer and homopolymeric RNA templates. RT elongation activity depended on both Mg2+ and Mn2+, and had low affinity for purine deoxynucleotides, which may be related with the success of adefovir, tenofovir, and entecavir. However, the polymerization rate was lower than that of human immunodeficiency virus RT. All HBV genotypes displayed similar RT activity, except for genotype B, which demonstrated increased elongation activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Toyoda
- Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, 19-14 Azayamanaka, Noyori-Cho, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8124, Japan.
| | - Yongxiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, PR China
| | - Yumei Wen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, PR China
| | - Yasuhito Tanaka
- Department of Virology and Liver Unit, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
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Matsunaga S, Jeremiah SS, Miyakawa K, Kurotaki D, Shizukuishi S, Watashi K, Nishitsuji H, Kimura H, Tamura T, Yamamoto N, Shimotohno K, Wakita T, Ryo A. Engineering Cellular Biosensors with Customizable Antiviral Responses Targeting Hepatitis B Virus. iScience 2020; 23:100867. [PMID: 32105634 PMCID: PMC7113479 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
SynNotch receptor technology is a versatile tool that uses the regulatory notch core portion with an extracellular scFv and an intracellular transcription factor that enables to program customized input and output functions in mammalian cells. In this study, we designed a novel synNotch receptor comprising scFv against HBs antigen linked with an intracellular artificial transcription factor and exploited it for viral sensing and cellular immunotherapy. The synNotch receptor expressing cells sensed HBV particles and membrane-bound HBs antigens and responded by expressing reporter molecules, secNL or GFP. We also programmed these cells to dispense antiviral responses such as type I interferon and anti-HBV neutralizing mouse-human chimeric antibodies. Our data reveal that synNotch receptor signaling works for membrane-bound ligands such as enveloped viral particles and proteins borne on liposomal vesicles. This study establishes the concepts of "engineered immunity" where the synNotch platform is utilized for cellular immunotherapy against viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoko Matsunaga
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Sundararaj S Jeremiah
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kei Miyakawa
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kurotaki
- Department of Immunology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Sayaka Shizukuishi
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Koichi Watashi
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Hironori Nishitsuji
- Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba 272-8516, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Kimura
- School of Medical Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gunma Paz University, Takasaki 370-0006, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Tamura
- Department of Immunology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Naoki Yamamoto
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kunitada Shimotohno
- Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba 272-8516, Japan
| | - Takaji Wakita
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Akihide Ryo
- Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fuku-ura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
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Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects hundreds of millions of people and remains a major cause of viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. HBV persistence is sustained by a viral nuclear episome that directs all viral gene expression needed to support viral replication. The episome is converted from an incomplete DNA precursor in viral particles in an ill-understood process. We report here that the incomplete DNA precursor is recognized by the host cell in a way similar to the sensing of damaged cellular DNA for subsequent repair to form the nuclear episome. Intense efforts are ongoing to develop novel antiviral strategies to eliminate CCC DNA so as to cure chronic HBV infection. Our results here provide novel insights into, and suggest novel ways of perturbing, the process of episome formation. Furthermore, our results inform mechanisms of cellular DNA damage recognition and repair, processes essential for normal cell growth. The covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA of hepatitis B virus (HBV) functions as the only viral transcriptional template capable of producing all viral RNA species and is essential to initiate and sustain viral replication. CCC DNA is converted from a relaxed circular (RC) DNA, in which neither of the two DNA strands is covalently closed. As RC DNA mimics damaged cellular DNA, the host cell DNA damage repair (DDR) system is thought to be responsible for HBV CCC DNA formation. The potential role of two major cellular DDR pathways, the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pathway and the ATM and Rad3-related (ATR) pathway, in HBV CCC DNA formation was thus investigated. Inhibition, or expression knockdown, of ATR and its downstream signaling factor CHK1, but not of ATM, decreased CCC DNA formation during de novo HBV infection, as well as intracellular CCC DNA amplification, when RC DNA from extracellular virions and intracellular nucleocapsids, respectively, is converted to CCC DNA. Furthermore, a novel RC DNA processing product with 5′ truncated minus strands was detected when the ATR-CHK1 pathway was inhibited, further indicating that this pathway controls RC DNA processing during its conversion to CCC DNA. These results provide new insights into how host cells recognize and process HBV RC DNA in order to produce CCC DNA and have implications for potential means to block CCC DNA production.
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Habashy NH, Abu-Serie MM. Major royal-jelly protein 2 and its isoform X1 are two novel safe inhibitors for hepatitis C and B viral entry and replication. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 141:1072-1087. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Abstract
With a yearly death toll of 880,000, hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major health problem worldwide, despite an effective prophylactic vaccine and well-tolerated, effective antivirals. HBV causes chronic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The viral genome persists in infected hepatocytes even after long-term antiviral therapy, and its integration, though no longer able to support viral replication, destabilizes the host genome. HBV is a DNA virus that utilizes a virus-encoded reverse transcriptase to convert an RNA intermediate, termed pregenomic RNA, into the relaxed circular DNA genome, which is subsequently converted into a covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the host cell nucleus. cccDNA is maintained in the nucleus of the infected hepatocyte as a stable minichromosome and functions as the viral transcriptional template for the production of all viral gene products, and thus, it is the molecular basis of HBV persistence. The nuclear cccDNA pool can be replenished through recycling of newly synthesized, DNA-containing HBV capsids. Licensed antivirals target the HBV reverse transcriptase activity but fail to eliminate cccDNA, which would be required to cure HBV infection. Elimination of HBV cccDNA is so far only achieved by antiviral immune responses. Thus, this review will focus on possible curative strategies aimed at eliminating or crippling the viral cccDNA. Newer insights into the HBV life cycle and host immune response provide novel, potentially curative therapeutic opportunities and targets.
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Adalja A, Inglesby T. Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agents: A Crucial Pandemic Tool. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2019; 17:467-470. [PMID: 31216912 PMCID: PMC7103698 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2019.1635009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amesh Adalja
- Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Inglesby
- Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Nijampatnam B, Liotta DC. Recent advances in the development of HBV capsid assembly modulators. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2019; 50:73-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Wu Y, Wen J, Xiao W, Zhang B. Pregenomic RNA: How to assist the management of chronic hepatitis B? Rev Med Virol 2019; 29:e2051. [PMID: 31074177 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) is an emerging serological marker for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. While pgRNA is principally the template for viral proteins and viral DNAs, additional novel functions for the serum pgRNA have recently been described. These results extend for pgRNA a regulatory function in the viral life cycle and potentially a role in pathogenesis. Here, we review the diverse roles of pgRNA in HBV replication and pathogenesis, emphasizing how the unique structure of this RNA is key to its various functions. We focus in particular on the role of HBV pgRNA in guiding antiviral therapy including nucleot(s)ide analog interruption and role as a marker of cure with new curative therapies. We also briefly allude to the emerging niche for new direct-acting or indirect-acting antivirals targeting pgRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nanxishan Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin, China
| | - Jian Wen
- Department of Hematology, Nanxishan Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin, China
| | - Weiwei Xiao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bao Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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38
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Liu K, Hu J. Secretion of empty or complete hepatitis B virions: envelopment of empty capsids versus mature nucleocapsids. Future Virol 2019. [DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2018-0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
HBV replicates its DNA genome, a partially double-stranded, relaxed circular DNA, via reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate called pre-genomic RNA by its reverse transcriptase. A major characteristic of HBV replication is the selective envelopment and secretion of relaxed circular DNA-containing mature capsids and empty capsids with no DNA or RNA, but not those containing pre-genomic RNA or the single-stranded DNA replication intermediate. In this review, the potential mechanisms of HBV virion morphogenesis will be discussed, with a focus on key determinants of both the capsid and envelope proteins for the selective secretion of complete and empty virions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuancheng Liu
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018 China
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
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Yasutake Y, Hattori SI, Tamura N, Matsuda K, Kohgo S, Maeda K, Mitsuya H. Active-site deformation in the structure of HIV-1 RT with HBV-associated septuple amino acid substitutions rationalizes the differential susceptibility of HIV-1 and HBV against 4'-modified nucleoside RT inhibitors. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 509:943-948. [PMID: 30648556 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NRTIs) are major antiviral agents against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). However, the notorious insoluble property of HBV RT has prevented atomic-resolution structural studies and rational anti-HBV drug design. Here, we created HIV-1 RT mutants containing HBV-mimicking sextuple or septuple amino acid substitutions at the nucleoside-binding site (N-site) and verified that these mutants retained the RT activity. The most active RT mutant, HIV-1 RT7MC, carrying Q151M/G112S/D113A/Y115F/F116Y/F160L/I159L was successfully crystallized, and its three-dimensional structure was determined in complex with DNA:dGTP/entecavir-triphosphate (ETV-TP), a potent anti-HBV guanosine analogue RT inhibitor, at a resolution of 2.43 Å and 2.60 Å, respectively. The structures reveal significant positional rearrangements of the amino acid side-chains at the N-site, elucidating the mechanism underlying the differential susceptibility of HIV-1 and HBV against recently reported 4'-modified NRTIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiaki Yasutake
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, 062-8517, Japan; Computational Bio Big-Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), AIST, Sapporo, 062-8517, Japan.
| | - Shin-Ichiro Hattori
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Noriko Tamura
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, 062-8517, Japan
| | - Kouki Matsuda
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Satoru Kohgo
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, Kumamoto, 860-0082, Japan
| | - Kenji Maeda
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
| | - Hiroaki Mitsuya
- National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute (NCGM), Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan; Experimental Retrovirology Section, HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Department of Clinical Sciences, Kumamoto University Hospital, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan
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40
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Hu J, Lin YY, Chen PJ, Watashi K, Wakita T. Cell and Animal Models for Studying Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Drug Development. Gastroenterology 2019; 156:338-354. [PMID: 30243619 PMCID: PMC6649672 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.06.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many cell culture and animal models have been used to study hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and its effects in the liver; these have facilitated development of strategies to control and clear chronic HBV infection. We discuss the advantages and limitations of systems for studying HBV and developing antiviral agents, along with recent advances. New and improved model systems are needed. Cell culture systems should be convenient, support efficient HBV infection, and reproduce responses of hepatocytes in the human body. We also need animals that are fully permissive to HBV infection, convenient for study, and recapitulate human immune responses to HBV and effects in the liver. High-throughput screening technologies could facilitate drug development based on findings from cell and animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianming Hu
- The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
| | - You-Yu Lin
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jer Chen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University.
| | | | - Takaji Wakita
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
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The immunological function of extracellular vesicles in hepatitis B virus-infected hepatocytes. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205886. [PMID: 30596665 PMCID: PMC6312312 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) generates large amounts of complete and incomplete viral particles. Except for the virion, which acts as infectious particles, the function of those particles remains elusive. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been revealed to have biological functions. The EVs which size are less than 100 nm in diameter, were collected from HBV infected-patients. These vesicles contain, complete and incomplete virions, and exosomes, which have been recently shown to be critical as intercellular communicators. Here, the effects of the exosome, the complete, and the incomplete particles on the target cells were investigated. These particles are endocytosed by monocyte/macrophages and function primarily to upregulate PD-L1. The functions and composition of the EVs were affected by nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), suggesting that the EVs are involved in the pathogenesis of HBV hepatitis and clinical course of those patients treated by NRTIs.
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43
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Liu K, Luckenbaugh L, Ning X, Xi J, Hu J. Multiple roles of core protein linker in hepatitis B virus replication. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007085. [PMID: 29782550 PMCID: PMC5983865 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein (HBc) contains an N-terminal domain (NTD, assembly domain) and a C-terminal domain (CTD), which are linked by a flexible linker region. HBc plays multiple essential roles in viral replication, including capsid assembly, packaging of the viral pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) into nucleocapsids, viral reverse transcription that converts pgRNA to the genomic DNA, and secretion of DNA-containing (complete) virions or genome-free (empty) virions. The HBc linker is generally assumed to act merely as a spacer between NTD and CTD but some results suggest that the linker may affect NTD assembly. To determine its role in viral replication, we have made a number of deletion and substitution mutants in the linker region, in either the presence or absence of CTD, and tested their abilities to support capsid assembly and viral replication in human cells. Our results indicate that the linker could indeed impede NTD assembly in the absence of CTD, which could be partially relieved by partial linker deletion. In contrast, when CTD was present, the linker deletions or substitutions did not affect capsid assembly. Deletion of the entire linker or its C-terminal part resulted in a partial defect in pgRNA packaging and severely impaired viral DNA synthesis. In contrast, deletion of the N-terminal part of the linker, or substitutions of the linker sequence, had little to no effect on RNA packaging or first-strand DNA synthesis. However, the N-terminal linker deletion and two linker substitution mutants were defective in the production of mature double-stranded viral DNA. Secretion of empty virions was blocked by all the linker deletions and substitutions tested. In particular, a conservative linker substitution that allowed mature viral DNA synthesis and secretion of complete virions severely impaired the secretion of empty virions, thus increasing the ratio of complete to empty virions that were secreted. Together, these results demonstrate that the HBc linker region plays critical and complex roles at multiple stages of HBV replication. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major human pathogen that infects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and represents a major cause of viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The HBV capsid protein (HBc) plays multiple roles in the viral life cycle and has emerged recently as a major target for developing antiviral therapies against HBV infection. HBc is divided into three separate regions, an N-terminal domain (NTD) responsible for capsid assembly, a C-terminal domain (CTD) that plays critical roles in the specific packaging of the viral pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) into replication-competent nucleocapsids and the subsequent reverse transcription of the pgRNA into the viral genomic DNA, and a linker region between the NTD and CTD. In contrast to the prevailing assumption that the linker merely serves to connect the NTD and CTD, we have discovered here that it plays a critical role in almost every stage of HBV replication. The linker likely exerted its pleiotropic effects via affecting the NTD and CTD as well as via direct interactions with other viral factors independent of the NTD or CTD. Our results thus not only deepen understanding of HBc structure and functions but also implicate the linker as a potential novel target for antiviral development against HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuancheng Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States of America
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Laurie Luckenbaugh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Xiaojun Ning
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Ji Xi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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44
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Singh US, Mulamoottil VA, Chu CK. 2′-Fluoro-6′-methylene carbocyclic adenosine and its phosphoramidate prodrug: A novel anti-HBV agent, active against drug-resistant HBV mutants. Med Res Rev 2018; 38:977-1002. [DOI: 10.1002/med.21490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Uma S. Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences; University of Georgia; Athens GA USA
| | | | - Chung K. Chu
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences; University of Georgia; Athens GA USA
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45
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Liu B, Yang JX, Yan L, Zhuang H, Li T. Novel HBV recombinants between genotypes B and C in 3'-terminal reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences are associated with enhanced viral DNA load, higher RT point mutation rates and place of birth among Chinese patients. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2017; 57:26-35. [PMID: 29111272 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
As one of the major global public health concerns, hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be divided into at least eight genotypes, which may be related to disease severity and treatment response. We previously demonstrated that genotypes B and C HBV, with distinct geographical distribution in China, had divergent genotype-dependent amino acid polymorphisms and variations in reverse transcriptase (RT) gene region, a target of antiviral therapy using nucleos(t)ide analogues. Recently recombination between HBV genotypes B and C was reported to occur in the RT region. However, their frequency and clinical significance is poorly understood. Here full-length HBV RT sequences from 201 Chinese chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients were amplified and sequenced, among which 31.34% (63/201) were genotype B whereas 68.66% (138/201) genotype C. Although no intergenotypic recombination was detected among C-genotype HBV, 38.10% (24/63) of B-genotype HBV had recombination with genotype C in the 3'-terminal RT sequences. The patients with B/C intergenotypic recombinants had significantly (P<0.05) higher serum HBV DNA level than the "pure" B-genotype cohort did. Moreover, the B/C intergenotypic recombinants were prone to more substitutions at several specific residues in the RT region than genotype B or C. Besides, unlike their parental genotypes, the recombinant HBV appeared to display an altered geographic distribution feature in China. Our findings provide novel insight into the virological, clinical and epidemiological features of new HBV B/C intergenotypic recombinants at the 3' end of RT sequences among Chinese CHB patients. The highly complex genetic background of the novel recombinant HBV carrying new mutations affecting RT protein may contribute to an enhanced heterogeneity in treatment response or prognosis among CHB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoming Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
| | - Jing-Xian Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Yan
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
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Song L, Huang W, Kang J, Huang Y, Ren H, Ding K. Comparison of error correction algorithms for Ion Torrent PGM data: application to hepatitis B virus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8106. [PMID: 28808243 PMCID: PMC5556038 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08139-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) technology is a mid-length read, low-cost and high-speed next-generation sequencing platform with a relatively high insertion and deletion (indel) error rate. A full systematic assessment of the effectiveness of various error correction algorithms in PGM viral datasets (e.g., hepatitis B virus (HBV)) has not been performed. We examined 19 quality-trimmed PGM datasets for the HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) region and found a total error rate of 0.48% ± 0.12%. Deletion errors were clearly present at the ends of homopolymer runs. Tests using both real and simulated data showed that the algorithms differed in their abilities to detect and correct errors and that the error rate and sequencing depth significantly affected the performance. Of the algorithms tested, Pollux showed a better overall performance but tended to over-correct 'genuine' substitution variants, whereas Fiona proved to be better at distinguishing these variants from sequencing errors. We found that the combined use of Pollux and Fiona gave the best results when error-correcting Ion Torrent PGM viral data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liting Song
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China
| | - Wenxun Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China
| | - Juan Kang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Center for Hepatobillary and Pancreatic Diseases, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Medical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100044, P.R. China
| | - Hong Ren
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China
| | - Keyue Ding
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, P.R. China.
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Identification of an Intermediate in Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular (CCC) DNA Formation and Sensitive and Selective CCC DNA Detection. J Virol 2017. [PMID: 28637752 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00539-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA functions as the only viral template capable of coding for all the viral RNA species and is thus essential to initiate and sustain viral replication. CCC DNA is converted, in a multistep and ill-understood process, from a relaxed circular (RC) DNA, in which neither of the two DNA strands is covalently closed. To detect putative intermediates during RC DNA to CCC DNA conversion, two 3' exonucleases, exonuclease I (Exo I) and Exo III, were used in combination to degrade all DNA strands with a free 3' end, which would nevertheless preserve closed circular DNA in either single-stranded (SS) or double-stranded (DS) form. Indeed, an RC DNA species with a covalently closed minus strand but an open plus strand (closed minus-strand RC DNA [cM-RC DNA]) was detected by this approach. Further analyses indicated that at least some of the plus strands in such a putative intermediate likely still retained the RNA primer that is attached to the 5' end of the plus strand in RC DNA, suggesting that minus-strand closing can occur before plus-strand processing. Furthermore, the same nuclease treatment proved to be useful for sensitive and specific detection of CCC DNA by removing all DNA species other than closed circular DNA. Application of these and similar approaches may allow the identification of additional intermediates during CCC DNA formation and facilitate specific and sensitive detection of CCC DNA, which should help elucidate the pathways of CCC DNA formation and the factors involved.IMPORTANCE The hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA, by serving as the viral transcriptional template, is the molecular basis of viral persistence. CCC DNA is converted, in a multistep and ill-understood process, from relaxed circular (RC) DNA. Little is currently understood about the pathways or factors involved in CCC DNA formation. We have now detected a likely intermediate during the conversion of RC DNA to CCC DNA, thus providing important clues to the pathways of CCC DNA formation. Furthermore, the same experimental approach that led to the detection of the intermediate could also facilitate specific and sensitive detection of CCC DNA, which has remained challenging. This and similar approaches will help identify additional intermediates during CCC DNA formation and elucidate the pathways and factors involved.
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An Effective Antiviral Approach Targeting Hepatitis B Virus with NJK14047, a Novel and Selective Biphenyl Amide p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Inhibitor. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.00214-17. [PMID: 28559272 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00214-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in therapeutic strategies against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, chronic hepatitis B remains a major global health burden. Recent studies have shown that targeting host factors instead of viral factors can be an effective antiviral strategy with low risk of the development of resistance. Efforts to identify host factors affecting viral replication have identified p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) as a possible target for antiviral strategies against various viruses, including HBV. Here, a series of biphenyl amides were synthesized as novel p38 MAPK selective inhibitors and assessed for their anti-HBV activities. The suppression of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) production by these compounds was positively correlated with p38 MAPK-inhibitory activity. The selected compound NJK14047 displayed significant anti-HBV activity, as determined by HBsAg production, HBeAg secretion, and HBV production. NJK14047 efficiently suppressed the secretion of HBV antigens and HBV particles from HBV genome-transfected cells and HBV-infected sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide-expressing human hepatoma cells. Furthermore, NJK14047 treatment resulted in a significant decrease of pregenomic RNA and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) of HBV in HBV-harboring cells, indicating its ability to inhibit HBV replication. Considering that suppression of HBsAg secretion and elimination of cccDNA of HBV are the major aims of anti-HBV therapeutic strategies, the results suggested the potential use of these compounds as a novel class of anti-HBV agents targeting host factors critical for viral infection.
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Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background: Antiretroviral drug discovery and formulation design will facilitate viral clearance in infectious reservoirs. Although progress has been realized for selected hydrophobic integrase and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, limited success has been seen to date with hydrophilic nucleosides. To overcome these limitations, hydrophobic long-acting drug nanoparticles were created for the commonly used nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, lamivudine (2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine, 3TC). Methods: A 2-step synthesis created a slow-release long-acting hydrophobic 3TC. Conjugation of 3TC to a fatty acid created a myristoylated prodrug which was encased into a folate-decorated poloxamer 407. Both in vitro antiretroviral efficacy in human monocyte-derived macrophages and pharmacokinetic profiles in mice were evaluated for the decorated nanoformulated drug. Results: A stable drug formulation was produced by poloxamer encasement that improved monocyte–macrophage uptake, antiretroviral activities, and drug pharmacokinetic profiles over native drug formulations. Conclusions: Sustained release of long-acting antiretroviral therapy is a new therapeutic frontier for HIV/AIDS. 3TC depot formation in monocyte-derived macrophages can be facilitated through stable subcellular internalization and slow drug release.
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Ko C, Michler T, Protzer U. Novel viral and host targets to cure hepatitis B. Curr Opin Virol 2017; 24:38-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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