1
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Valente LC, Bacil GP, Riechelmann-Casarin L, Barbosa GC, Barbisan LF, Romualdo GR. Exploring in vitro modeling in hepatocarcinogenesis research: morphological and molecular features and similarities to the corresponding human disease. Life Sci 2024; 351:122781. [PMID: 38848937 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122781] [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: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
The hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) features a remarkable epidemiological burden, ranking as the third most lethal cancer worldwide. As the HCC-related molecular and cellular complexity unfolds as the disease progresses, the use of a myriad of in vitro models available is mandatory in translational preclinical research setups. In this review paper, we will compile cutting-edge information on the in vitro bioassays for HCC research, (A) emphasizing their morphological and molecular parallels with human HCC; (B) delineating the advantages and limitations of their application; and (C) offering perspectives on their prospective applications. While bidimensional (2D) (co) culture setups provide a rapid low-cost strategy for metabolism and drug screening investigations, tridimensional (3D) (co) culture bioassays - including patient-derived protocols as organoids and precision cut slices - surpass some of the 2D strategies limitations, mimicking the complex microarchitecture and cellular and non-cellular microenvironment observed in human HCC. 3D models have become invaluable tools to unveil HCC pathophysiology and targeted therapy. In both setups, the recapitulation of HCC in different etiologies/backgrounds (i.e., viral, fibrosis, and fatty liver) may be considered as a fundamental guide for obtaining translational findings. Therefore, a "multimodel" approach - encompassing the advantages of different in vitro bioassays - is encouraged to circumvent "model-biased" outcomes in preclinical HCC research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia Cardoso Valente
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Medical School, Botucatu, Experimental Research Unit (UNIPEX), Brazil
| | - Gabriel Prata Bacil
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Brazil
| | - Luana Riechelmann-Casarin
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Medical School, Botucatu, Experimental Research Unit (UNIPEX), Brazil
| | | | - Luís Fernando Barbisan
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Ribeiro Romualdo
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Medical School, Botucatu, Experimental Research Unit (UNIPEX), Brazil.
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2
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Echeverría N, Gámbaro F, Beaucourt S, Soñora M, Hernández N, Cristina J, Moratorio G, Moreno P. Mixed Infections Unravel Novel HCV Inter-Genotypic Recombinant Forms within the Conserved IRES Region. Viruses 2024; 16:560. [PMID: 38675902 PMCID: PMC11053413 DOI: 10.3390/v16040560] [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] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a significant global health challenge, affecting millions of people worldwide, with chronic infection a persistent threat. Despite the advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), challenges in diagnosis and treatment remain, compounded by the lack of an effective vaccine. The HCV genome, characterized by high genetic variability, consists of eight distinct genotypes and over ninety subtypes, underscoring the complex dynamics of the virus within infected individuals. This study delves into the intriguing realm of HCV genetic diversity, specifically exploring the phenomenon of mixed infections and the subsequent detection of recombinant forms within the conserved internal ribosome entry site (IRES) region. Previous studies have identified recombination as a rare event in HCV. However, our findings challenge this notion by providing the first evidence of 1a/3a (and vice versa) inter-genotypic recombination within the conserved IRES region. Utilizing advanced sequencing methods, such as deep sequencing and molecular cloning, our study reveals mixed infections involving genotypes 1a and 3a. This comprehensive approach not only confirmed the presence of mixed infections, but also identified the existence of recombinant forms not previously seen in the IRES region. The recombinant sequences, although present as low-frequency variants, open new avenues for understanding HCV evolution and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Echeverría
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Fabiana Gámbaro
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
| | - Stéphanie Beaucourt
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France;
| | - Martín Soñora
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
- Laboratorio de Simulaciones Biomoleculares, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Nelia Hernández
- Clínica de Gastroenterología, Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay;
| | - Juan Cristina
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
| | - Gonzalo Moratorio
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Pilar Moreno
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (N.E.); (F.G.); (M.S.); (J.C.); (G.M.)
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
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3
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Frumento N, Sinnis-Bourozikas A, Paul HT, Stavrakis G, Zahid MN, Wang S, Ray SC, Flyak AI, Shaw GM, Cox AL, Bailey JR. Neutralizing antibodies evolve to exploit vulnerable sites in the HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 and mediate spontaneous clearance of infection. Immunity 2024; 57:40-51.e5. [PMID: 38171362 PMCID: PMC10874496 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.12.004] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Individuals who clear primary hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections clear subsequent reinfections more than 80% of the time, but the mechanisms are poorly defined. Here, we used HCV variants and plasma from individuals with repeated clearance to characterize longitudinal changes in envelope glycoprotein E2 sequences, function, and neutralizing antibody (NAb) resistance. Clearance of infection was associated with early selection of viruses with NAb resistance substitutions that also reduced E2 binding to CD81, the primary HCV receptor. Later, peri-clearance plasma samples regained neutralizing capacity against these variants. We identified a subset of broadly NAbs (bNAbs) for which these loss-of-fitness substitutions conferred resistance to unmutated bNAb ancestors but increased sensitivity to mature bNAbs. These data demonstrate a mechanism by which neutralizing antibodies contribute to repeated immune-mediated HCV clearance, identifying specific bNAbs that exploit fundamental vulnerabilities in E2. The induction of bNAbs with these specificities should be a goal of HCV vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Frumento
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ariadne Sinnis-Bourozikas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Harry T Paul
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Georgia Stavrakis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Muhammad N Zahid
- University of Bahrain, Department of Biology, College of Science, Sakhir Campus, Sakhir, Bahrain
| | - Shuyi Wang
- Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stuart C Ray
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew I Flyak
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - George M Shaw
- Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrea L Cox
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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4
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Kamal S, Shahzad A, Rehman K, Tariq K, Akash MSH, Imran M, Assiri MA. Therapeutic Intervention of Serine Protease Inhibitors against Hepatitis C Virus. Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2052-2072. [PMID: 37855348 DOI: 10.2174/0109298673234823230921090431] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a globally prevalent and hazardous disorder that is responsible for inducing several persistent and potentially fatal liver diseases. Current treatment strategies offer limited efficacy, often accompanied by severe and debilitating adverse effects. Consequently, there is an urgent and compelling need to develop novel therapeutic interventions that can provide maximum efficacy in combating HCV while minimizing the burden of adverse effects on patients. One promising target against HCV is the NS3-4A serine protease, a complex composed of two HCV-encoded proteins. This non-covalent heterodimer is crucial in the viral life cycle and has become a primary focus for therapeutic interventions. Although peginterferon, combined with ribavirin, is commonly employed for HCV treatment, its efficacy is hampered by significant adverse effects that can profoundly impact patients' quality of life. In recent years, the development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has emerged as a breakthrough in HCV therapy. These agents exhibit remarkable potency against the virus and have demonstrated fewer adverse effects when combined with other DAAs. However, it is important to note that there is a potential for developing resistance to DAAs due to alterations in the amino acid position of the NS3-4A protease. This emphasizes the need for ongoing research to identify strategies that can minimize the emergence of resistance and ensure long-term effectiveness. While the combination of DAAs holds promise for HCV treatment, it is crucial to consider the possibility of drug-drug interactions. These interactions may occur when different DAAs are used concurrently, potentially compromising their therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, carefully evaluating and monitoring potential drug interactions are vital to optimize treatment outcomes. In the pursuit of novel therapeutic interventions for HCV, the field of computational biology and bioinformatics has emerged as a valuable tool. These advanced technologies and methodologies enable the development and design of new drugs and therapeutic agents that exhibit maximum efficacy, reduced risk of resistance, and minimal adverse effects. By leveraging computational approaches, researchers can efficiently screen and optimize potential candidates, accelerating the discovery and development of highly effective treatments for HCV, treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shagufta Kamal
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Asif Shahzad
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Kanwal Rehman
- Department of Pharmacy, The Women University, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Komal Tariq
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Muhammad Imran
- Research center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Ali Assiri
- Research center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
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5
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Tabll AA, Sohrab SS, Ali AA, Petrovic A, Steiner Srdarevic S, Siber S, Glasnovic M, Smolic R, Smolic M. Future Prospects, Approaches, and the Government's Role in the Development of a Hepatitis C Virus Vaccine. Pathogens 2023; 13:38. [PMID: 38251345 PMCID: PMC10820710 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010038] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Developing a safe and effective vaccine against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a top priority for global health. Despite recent advances in antiviral therapies, the high cost and limited accessibility of these treatments impede their widespread application, particularly in resource-limited settings. Therefore, the development of the HCV vaccine remains a necessity. This review article analyzes the current technologies, future prospects, strategies, HCV genomic targets, and the governmental role in HCV vaccine development. We discuss the current epidemiological landscape of HCV infection and the potential of HCV structural and non-structural protein antigens as vaccine targets. In addition, the involvement of government agencies and policymakers in supporting and facilitating the development of HCV vaccines is emphasized. We explore how vaccine development regulatory channels and frameworks affect research goals, funding, and public health policy. The significance of international and public-private partnerships in accelerating the development of an HCV vaccine is examined. Finally, the future directions for developing an HCV vaccine are discussed. In conclusion, the review highlights the urgent need for a preventive vaccine to fight the global HCV disease and the significance of collaborative efforts between scientists, politicians, and public health organizations to reach this important public health goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashraf A. Tabll
- Microbial Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo 12622, Egypt
- Egypt Centre for Research and Regenerative Medicine (ECRRM), Cairo 11517, Egypt
| | - Sayed S. Sohrab
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed A. Ali
- Molecular Biology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo 12622, Egypt;
| | - Ana Petrovic
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
| | - Sabina Steiner Srdarevic
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
| | - Stjepan Siber
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
| | - Marija Glasnovic
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
| | - Robert Smolic
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
| | - Martina Smolic
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; (A.P.); (S.S.S.); (S.S.); (M.G.); (R.S.)
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6
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Bajpai PS, Collignon L, Sølund C, Madsen LW, Christensen PB, Øvrehus A, Weis N, Holmbeck K, Fahnøe U, Bukh J. Full-length sequence analysis of hepatitis C virus genotype 3b strains and development of an in vivo infectious 3b cDNA clone. J Virol 2023; 97:e0092523. [PMID: 38092564 PMCID: PMC10734419 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00925-23] [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] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE HCV genotype 3b is a difficult-to-treat subtype, associated with accelerated progression of liver disease and resistance to antivirals. Moreover, its prevalence has significantly increased among persons who inject drugs posing a serious risk of transmission in the general population. Thus, more genetic information and antiviral testing systems are required to develop novel therapeutic options for this genotype 3 subtype. We determined the complete genomic sequence and complexity of three genotype 3b isolates, which will be beneficial to study its biology and evolution. Furthermore, we developed a full-length in vivo infectious cDNA clone of genotype 3b and showed its robustness and genetic stability in human-liver chimeric mice. This is, to our knowledge the first reported infectious cDNA clone of HCV genotype 3b and will provide a valuable tool to evaluate antivirals and neutralizing antibodies in vivo, as well as in the development of infectious cell culture systems required for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Shukla Bajpai
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Collignon
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Lone Wulff Madsen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Peer Brehm Christensen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anne Øvrehus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kenn Holmbeck
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
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7
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Izhari MA. Molecular Mechanisms of Resistance to Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) Drugs for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infections. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3102. [PMID: 37835845 PMCID: PMC10572573 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13193102] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus that affects millions of human lives worldwide. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens are the most effective HCV treatment option. However, amino acid substitution-dependent resistance to DAAs has been a major challenge. This study aimed to determine the increasing risk of DAA resistance due to substitutions in DAA target non-structural proteins (NS3/4A, NS5A, and NS5B). Using a Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) at the virus pathogen resource (ViPR/BV-BRC), n = 32763 target protein sequences were retrieved and analyzed for resistance-associated amino acid substitutions (RAASs) by the Sequence Feature Variant Type (SFVT) antiviral-resistance assessment modeling tool. Reference target protein sequences with 100% identity were retried from UniProt following NCBI BLAST. The types and locations of RAASs were identified and visualized by AlphaFold and PyMol. Linux-r-base/R-studio was used for the data presentation. Multi-drug-resistant variants of NS3/4A in genotype 1 (n = 9) and genotype 5 (n = 5) along with DAA-specific NS3/4A, NS5A, and NS5B variants were identified pan-genotypically. A total of 27 variants (RAASs) of all the targets were identified. Fourteen genotype 1-specific substitutions: V1196A, V1158I, D1194A/T/G, R1181K, T1080S, Q1106R, V1062A, S1148G, A1182V, Y2065N, M2000T, and L2003V were identified. The most frequent substitutions were V1062L and L2003M, followed by Q2002H. L2003V, Q2002H, M2000T, Y2065N, and NL2003M of NS5A and L2003M of NS5B conferred resistance to daclatasvir. S2702T NS5B was the sofosbuvir-resistant variant. D1194A NS3/4A was triple DAA (simeprevir, faldaprevir, and asunaprevir) resistant. The double-drug resistant variants R1181K (faldaprevir and asunaprevir), A1182V and Q1106K/R (faldaprevir and simeprevir), T1080S (faldaprevir and telaprevir), and single drug-resistant variants V1062L (telaprevir), D1194E/T (simeprevir), D1194G (asunaprevir), S1148A/G (simeprevir), and Q1106L (Boceprevir) of NS3/4A were determined. The molecular phenomenon of DAA resistance is paramount in the development of HCV drug candidates. RAASs in NS3, NS5A, and NS5B reduce the susceptibility to DAAs; therefore, continuous RAAS-dependent resistance profiling in HCV is recommended to minimize the probability of DAA therapeutic failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Asrar Izhari
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha 65522, Saudi Arabia
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8
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Chen F, Ke Q, Wei W, Cui L, Wang Y. Apolipoprotein E and viral infection: Risks and Mechanisms. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:529-542. [PMID: 37588688 PMCID: PMC10425688 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a multifunctional protein critical for lipid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis. In addition to being a well known genetic determinant of both neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, ApoE is frequently involved in various viral infection-related diseases. Human ApoE protein is functionally polymorphic with three isoforms, namely, ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4, with markedly altered protein structures and functions. ApoE4 is associated with increased susceptibility to infection with herpes simplex virus type-1 and HIV. Conversely, ApoE4 protects against hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infection. With the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, ApoE4 has been shown to determine the incidence and progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. These findings clearly indicate the critical role of ApoE in viral infection. Furthermore, ApoE polymorphism has various or even opposite effects in these infection processes, which are partly related to the structural features that distinguish the different ApoE statuses. In the current review, we summarize the emerging relationship between ApoE and viral infection, discuss the potential mechanisms, and identify future directions that may help to advance our understanding of the link between ApoE and viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Age-Related Cardiac and Cerebral Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Qiongwei Ke
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Age-Related Cardiac and Cerebral Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Wenyan Wei
- Department of Gerontology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Lili Cui
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Age-Related Cardiac and Cerebral Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Age-Related Cardiac and Cerebral Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
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9
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Binderup A, Galli A, Fossat N, Fernandez-Antunez C, Mikkelsen LS, Rivera-Rangel LR, Scheel TKH, Fahnøe U, Bukh J, Ramirez S. Differential activity of nucleotide analogs against tick-borne encephalitis and yellow fever viruses in human cell lines. Virology 2023; 585:179-185. [PMID: 37356253 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.06.002] [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] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
With no approved antiviral therapies, the continuous emergence and re-emergence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and yellow fever virus (YFV) is a rising concern. We performed head-to-head comparisons of the antiviral activity of available nucleos(t)ide analogs (nucs) using relevant human cell lines. Eight existing nucs inhibited TBEV and/or YFV with differential activity between cell lines and viruses. Remdesivir, uprifosbuvir and sofosbuvir were the most potent drugs against TBEV and YFV in liver cells, but they had reduced activity in neural cells, whereas galidesivir retained uniform activity across cell lines and viruses. Ribavirin, valopicitabine, molnupiravir and GS-6620 exhibited only moderate antiviral activity. We found antiviral activity for drugs previously reported as inactive, demonstrating the importance of using human cell lines and comparative experimental assays when screening the activity of nucs. The relatively high antiviral activity of remdesivir, sofosbuvir and uprifosbuvir against TBEV and YFV merits further investigation in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alekxander Binderup
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andrea Galli
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Fossat
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlota Fernandez-Antunez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lotte S Mikkelsen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lizandro René Rivera-Rangel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Troels K H Scheel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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10
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Buonaguro L, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Ragone C, Tornesello AL, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Tagliamonte M. Microorganisms-derived antigens for preventive anti-cancer vaccines. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 92:101192. [PMID: 37295175 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2023.101192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cancer prevention is one of the aim with the highest priority in order to reduce the burden of cancer diagnosis and treatment on individuals as well as on healthcare systems. To this aim, vaccines represent the most efficient primary cancer prevention strategy. Indeed, anti-cancer immunological memory elicited by preventive vaccines might promptly expand and prevent tumor from progressing. Antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs), represent the obvious target for developing highly effective preventive vaccines for virus-induced cancers. In this respect, the drastic reduction in cancer incidence following HBV and HPV preventive vaccines are the paradigmatic example of such evidence. More recently, experimental evidences suggest that MoAs may represent a "natural" anti-cancer preventive vaccination or can be exploited for developing vaccines to prevent cancers presenting highly homologous tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) (e.g. molecular mimicry). The present review describes the different preventive anti-cancer vaccines based on antigens derived from pathogens at the different stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
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11
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Sherwood AV, Rivera-Rangel LR, Ryberg LA, Larsen HS, Anker KM, Costa R, Vågbø CB, Jakljevič E, Pham LV, Fernandez-Antunez C, Indrisiunaite G, Podolska-Charlery A, Grothen JER, Langvad NW, Fossat N, Offersgaard A, Al-Chaer A, Nielsen L, Kuśnierczyk A, Sølund C, Weis N, Gottwein JM, Holmbeck K, Bottaro S, Ramirez S, Bukh J, Scheel TKH, Vinther J. Hepatitis C virus RNA is 5'-capped with flavin adenine dinucleotide. Nature 2023:10.1038/s41586-023-06301-3. [PMID: 37407817 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06301-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA viruses have evolved elaborate strategies to protect their genomes, including 5' capping. However, until now no RNA 5' cap has been identified for hepatitis C virus1,2 (HCV), which causes chronic infection, liver cirrhosis and cancer3. Here we demonstrate that the cellular metabolite flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is used as a non-canonical initiating nucleotide by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, resulting in a 5'-FAD cap on the HCV RNA. The HCV FAD-capping frequency is around 75%, which is the highest observed for any RNA metabolite cap across all kingdoms of life4-8. FAD capping is conserved among HCV isolates for the replication-intermediate negative strand and partially for the positive strand. It is also observed in vivo on HCV RNA isolated from patient samples and from the liver and serum of a human liver chimeric mouse model. Furthermore, we show that 5'-FAD capping protects RNA from RIG-I mediated innate immune recognition but does not stabilize the HCV RNA. These results establish capping with cellular metabolites as a novel viral RNA-capping strategy, which could be used by other viruses and affect anti-viral treatment outcomes and persistence of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Sherwood
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Lizandro R Rivera-Rangel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Line A Ryberg
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Helena S Larsen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Klara M Anker
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Rui Costa
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Cathrine B Vågbø
- Proteomics and Modomics Experimental Core (PROMEC), Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eva Jakljevič
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Long V Pham
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Carlota Fernandez-Antunez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Gabriele Indrisiunaite
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Agnieszka Podolska-Charlery
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Julius E R Grothen
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Nicklas W Langvad
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Fossat
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Anna Offersgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Amal Al-Chaer
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Louise Nielsen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Anna Kuśnierczyk
- Proteomics and Modomics Experimental Core (PROMEC), Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christina Sølund
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Judith M Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Kenn Holmbeck
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Sandro Bottaro
- Section for Biomolecular Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
| | - Troels K H Scheel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Jeppe Vinther
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
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12
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Baccili AP, Monteiro LHA. Social Pressure from a Core Group can Cause Self-Sustained Oscillations in an Epidemic Model. Acta Biotheor 2023; 71:18. [PMID: 37347302 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-023-09469-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Let the individuals of a population be divided into two groups with different personal habits. The core group is associated with health risk behaviors; the non-core group avoids unhealthy activities. Assume that the infected individuals of the core group can spread a contagious disease to the whole population. Also, assume that cure does not confer immunity. Here, an epidemiological model written as a set of ordinary differential equations is proposed to investigate the infection propagation in this population. In the model, migrations between these two groups are allowed; however, the transitions from the non-core group into the core group prevail. These migrations can be either spontaneous or stimulated by social pressure. It is analytically shown that, in the scenario of spontaneous migration, the disease is either naturally eradicated or chronically persists at a constant level. In the scenario of stimulated migration, in addition to eradication and constant persistence, self-sustained oscillations in the number of sick individuals can also be found. These analytical results are illustrated by numerical simulations and discussed from a public health perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Baccili
- Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, PPGEEC, Escola de Engenharia, Rua da Consolação, n.896, 01302-907, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - L H A Monteiro
- Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, PPGEEC, Escola de Engenharia, Rua da Consolação, n.896, 01302-907, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
- Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Politécnica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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13
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Choudhary HB, Mandlik SK, Mandlik DS. Role of p53 suppression in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol 2023; 14:46-70. [PMID: 37304923 PMCID: PMC10251250 DOI: 10.4291/wjgp.v14.i3.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the world, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the top 10 most prevalent malignancies. HCC formation has indeed been linked to numerous etiological factors, including alcohol usage, hepatitis viruses and liver cirrhosis. Among the most prevalent defects in a wide range of tumours, notably HCC, is the silencing of the p53 tumour suppressor gene. The control of the cell cycle and the preservation of gene function are both critically important functions of p53. In order to pinpoint the core mechanisms of HCC and find more efficient treatments, molecular research employing HCC tissues has been the main focus. Stimulated p53 triggers necessary reactions that achieve cell cycle arrest, genetic stability, DNA repair and the elimination of DNA-damaged cells’ responses to biological stressors (like oncogenes or DNA damage). To the contrary hand, the oncogene protein of the murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is a significant biological inhibitor of p53. MDM2 causes p53 protein degradation, which in turn adversely controls p53 function. Despite carrying wt-p53, the majority of HCCs show abnormalities in the p53-expressed apoptotic pathway. High p53 in-vivo expression might have two clinical impacts on HCC: (1) Increased levels of exogenous p53 protein cause tumour cells to undergo apoptosis by preventing cell growth through a number of biological pathways; and (2) Exogenous p53 makes HCC susceptible to various anticancer drugs. This review describes the functions and primary mechanisms of p53 in pathological mechanism, chemoresistance and therapeutic mechanisms of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heena B Choudhary
- Department of Pharmacology, BVDU, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune 411038, Maharashtra, India
| | - Satish K Mandlik
- Department of Pharmaceutics, BVDU, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune 411038, Maharashtra, India
| | - Deepa S Mandlik
- Department of Pharmacology, BVDU, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune 411038, Maharashtra, India
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14
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Challenges Facing Viral Hepatitis C Elimination in Lebanon. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12030432. [PMID: 36986354 PMCID: PMC10057017 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12030432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C is a hepatotropic virus that causes progressive liver inflammation, eventually leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma if left untreated. All infected patients can achieve a cure if treated early. Unfortunately, many patients remain asymptomatic and tend to present late with hepatic complications. Given the economic and health burdens of chronic hepatitis C infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed a strategy to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. This article describes the epidemiology of hepatitis C in Lebanon and highlights the challenges hindering its elimination. An extensive search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, and the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health–Epidemiologic Surveillance Unit website. Obtained data were analyzed and discussed in light of the current WHO recommendations. It was found that Lebanon has a low prevalence of hepatitis C. Incidence is higher among males and Mount Lebanon residents. A wide variety of hepatitis C genotypes exists among various risk groups, with genotype 1 being the most predominant. In Lebanon, many barriers prevent successful hepatitis C elimination, including the absence of a comprehensive screening policy, stigma, neglect among high-risk groups, economic collapse, and a lack of proper care and surveillance among the refugees. Appropriate screening schemes and early linkage to care among the general and high-risk populations are essential for successful hepatitis C elimination in Lebanon.
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15
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Alzua GP, Pihl AF, Offersgaard A, Velázquez-Moctezuma R, Duarte Hernandez CR, Augestad EH, Fahnøe U, Mathiesen CK, Krarup H, Law M, Prentoe J, Bukh J, Gottwein JM. Identification of novel neutralizing determinants for protection against HCV. Hepatology 2023; 77:982-996. [PMID: 36056620 PMCID: PMC9936975 DOI: 10.1002/hep.32772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS HCV evasion of neutralizing antibodies (nAb) results in viral persistence and poses challenges to the development of an urgently needed vaccine. N-linked glycosylation of viral envelope proteins is a key mechanism for such evasion. To facilitate rational vaccine design, we aimed to identify determinants of protection of conserved neutralizing epitopes. APPROACH AND RESULTS Using a reverse evolutionary approach, we passaged genotype 1a, 1b, 2a, 3a, and 4a HCV with envelope proteins (E1 and E2) derived from chronically infected patients without selective pressure by nAb in cell culture. Compared with the original viruses, HCV recombinants, engineered to harbor substitutions identified in polyclonal cell culture-passaged viruses, showed highly increased fitness and exposure of conserved neutralizing epitopes in antigenic regions 3 and 4, associated with protection from chronic infection. Further reverse genetic studies of acquired E1/E2 substitutions identified positions 418 and 532 in the N1 and N6 glycosylation motifs, localizing to adjacent E2 areas, as key regulators of changes of the E1/E2 conformational state, which governed viral sensitivity to nAb. These effects were independent of predicted glycan occupancy. CONCLUSIONS We show how N-linked glycosylation motifs can trigger dramatic changes in HCV sensitivity to nAb, independent of glycan occupancy. These findings aid in the understanding of HCV nAb evasion and rational vaccine design, as they can be exploited to stabilize the structurally flexible envelope proteins in an open conformation, exposing important neutralizing epitopes. Finally, this work resulted in a panel of highly fit cell culture infectious HCV recombinants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garazi P Alzua
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Anne F Pihl
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Anna Offersgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Velázquez-Moctezuma
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Carlos R Duarte Hernandez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Elias H Augestad
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Christian K Mathiesen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Henrik Krarup
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics , Aalborg University Hospital , Aalborg , Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine , Aalborg University , Aalborg , Denmark
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology , The Scripps Research Institute , La Jolla , California , USA
| | - Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Judith M Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases , Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre , Hvidovre , Denmark.,Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark
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16
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Alzua GP, Pihl AF, Offersgaard A, Duarte Hernandez CR, Duan Z, Feng S, Fahnøe U, Sølund C, Weis N, Law M, Prentoe JC, Christensen JP, Bukh J, Gottwein JM. Inactivated genotype 1a, 2a and 3a HCV vaccine candidates induced broadly neutralising antibodies in mice. Gut 2023; 72:560-572. [PMID: 35918103 PMCID: PMC9933178 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-326323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A prophylactic vaccine is needed to control the HCV epidemic, with genotypes 1-3 causing >80% of worldwide infections. Vaccine development is hampered by HCV heterogeneity, viral escape including protection of conserved neutralising epitopes and suboptimal efficacy of HCV cell culture systems. We developed cell culture-based inactivated genotype 1-3 HCV vaccine candidates to present natively folded envelope proteins to elicit neutralising antibodies. DESIGN High-yield genotype 1a, 2a and 3a HCV were developed by serial passage of TNcc, J6cc and DBN3acc in Huh7.5 cells and engineering of acquired mutations detected by next-generation sequencing. Neutralising epitope exposure was determined in cell-based neutralisation assays using human monoclonal antibodies AR3A and AR4A, and polyclonal antibody C211. BALB/c mice were immunised with processed and inactivated genotype 1a, 2a or 3a viruses using AddaVax, a homologue of the licenced adjuvant MF-59. Purified mouse and patient serum IgG were assayed for neutralisation capacity; mouse IgG and immune-sera were assayed for E1/E2 binding. RESULTS Compared with the original viruses, high-yield viruses had up to ~1000 fold increased infectivity titres (peak titres: 6-7 log10 focus-forming units (FFU)/mL) and up to ~2470 fold increased exposure of conserved neutralising epitopes. Vaccine-induced IgG broadly neutralised genotype 1-6 HCV (EC50: 30-193 µg/mL; mean 71 µg/mL), compared favourably with IgG from chronically infected patients, and bound genotype 1-3 E1/E2; immune-sera endpoint titres reached up to 32 000. CONCLUSION High-yield genotype 1-3 HCV could be developed as basis for inactivated vaccine candidates inducing broadly neutralising antibodies in mice supporting further preclinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garazi Pena Alzua
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Finne Pihl
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Offersgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlos Rene Duarte Hernandez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Zhe Duan
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shan Feng
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jannick C Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Pravsgaard Christensen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Judith Margarete Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital-Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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17
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Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection contributes significantly to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), often requiring liver transplantation. Introducing direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has radically changed HCV treatment. DAAs achieve high rates of sustained virological response (>98%). Even then, resistant-associated substitution and HCC during or after treatment have become prominent clinical concerns. Further, several clinically significant issues remain unresolved after successful HCV eradication by DAAs, including treating patients with chronic kidney disease or decompensated liver cirrhosis. Extensive and large-scale screening and treatment implementation programs are needed to make DAA therapies effective at the population level.
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18
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Mechanisms and Consequences of Genetic Variation in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2023; 439:237-264. [PMID: 36592248 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-15640-3_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important contributor to the global incidence of liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although common for single-stranded RNA viruses, HCV displays a remarkable high level of genetic diversity, produced primarily by the error-prone viral polymerase and host immune pressure. The high genetic heterogeneity of HCV has led to the evolution of several distinct genotypes and subtypes, with important consequences for pathogenesis, and clinical outcomes. Genetic variability constitutes an evasion mechanism against immune suppression, allowing the virus to evolve epitope escape mutants that avoid immune recognition. Thus, heterogeneity and variability of the HCV genome represent a great hindrance for the development of vaccines against HCV. In addition, the high genetic plasticity of HCV allows the virus to rapidly develop antiviral resistance mutations, leading to treatment failure and potentially representing a major hindrance for the cure of chronic HCV patients. In this chapter, we will present the central role that genetic diversity has in the viral life cycle and epidemiology of HCV. Incorporation errors and recombination, both the result of HCV polymerase activity, represent the main mechanisms of HCV evolution. The molecular details of both mechanisms have been only partially clarified and will be presented in the following sections. Finally, we will discuss the major consequences of HCV genetic diversity, namely its capacity to rapidly evolve antiviral and immunological escape variants that represent an important limitation for clearance of acute HCV, for treatment of chronic hepatitis C and for broadly protective vaccines.
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A single mutation in the E2 glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus broadens the claudin specificity for its infection. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20243. [PMID: 36424447 PMCID: PMC9691748 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23824-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Entry of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) into host cells is a multistep process mediated by several host factors, including a tight junction protein claudin-1 (CLDN1). We repeatedly passaged HCV-JFH1-tau, an HCV substrain with higher infectivity, on Huh7.5.1-8 cells. A multi-passaged HCV-JFH1-tau lot was infectious to CLDN1-defective S7-A cells, non-permissive to original HCV-JFH1-tau infection. We identified a single mutation, M706L, in the E2 glycoprotein of the HCV-JFH1-tau lot as an essential mutation for infectivity to S7-A cells. The pseudovirus JFH1/M706L mutant could not infect human embryonic kidney 293 T (HEK293T) cells lacking CLDN family but infected HEK293T cells expressing CLDN1, CLDN6, or CLDN9. Thus, this mutant virus could utilize CLDN1, and other CLDN6 and CLDN9, making HCV possible to infect cells other than hepatocytes. iPS cells, one of the stem cells, do not express CLDN1 but express CLDN6 and other host factors required for HCV infection. We confirmed that the HCV-JFH1-tau-derived mutant with an M706L mutation infected iPS cells in a CLDN6-dependent manner. These results demonstrated that a missense mutation in E2 could broaden the CLDN member specificity for HCV infection. HCV may change its receptor requirement through a single amino acid mutation and infect non-hepatic cells.
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Pham LV, Velázquez-Moctezuma R, Fahnøe U, Collignon L, Bajpai P, Sølund C, Weis N, Holmbeck K, Prentoe J, Bukh J. Novel HCV Genotype 4d Infectious Systems and Assessment of Direct-Acting Antivirals and Antibody Neutralization. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112527. [PMID: 36423136 PMCID: PMC9698709 DOI: 10.3390/v14112527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 is highly prevalent in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Subtype 4d has recently spread among high-risk groups in Europe. However, 4d infectious culture systems are not available, hampering studies of drugs, as well as neutralizing antibodies relevant for HCV vaccine development. We determined the consensus 4d sequence from a chronic hepatitis C patient by next-generation sequencing, generated a full-length clone thereof (pDH13), and demonstrated that pDH13 RNA-transcripts were viable in the human-liver chimeric mouse model, but not in Huh7.5 cells. However, a JFH1-based DH13 Core-NS5A 4d clone encoding A1671S, T1785V, and D2411G was viable in Huh7.5 cells, with efficient growth after inclusion of 10 additional substitutions [4d(C5A)-13m]. The efficacies of NS3/4A protease- and NS5A- inhibitors against genotypes 4a and 4d were similar, except for ledipasvir, which is less potent against 4d. Compared to 4a, the 4d(C5A)-13m virus was more sensitive to neutralizing monoclonal antibodies AR3A and AR5A, as well as 4a and 4d patient plasma antibodies. In conclusion, we developed the first genotype 4d infectious culture system enabling DAA efficacy testing and antibody neutralization assessment critical to optimization of DAA treatments in the clinic and for vaccine design to combat the HCV epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long V. Pham
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Velázquez-Moctezuma
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Collignon
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Priyanka Bajpai
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kenn Holmbeck
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence:
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Prentoe J, Janitzek CM, Velázquez-Moctezuma R, Soerensen A, Jørgensen T, Clemmensen S, Soroka V, Thrane S, Theander T, Nielsen MA, Salanti A, Bukh J, Sander AF. Two-component vaccine consisting of virus-like particles displaying hepatitis C virus envelope protein 2 oligomers. NPJ Vaccines 2022; 7:148. [DOI: 10.1038/s41541-022-00570-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractDevelopment of B-cell-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccines that induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) is hindered by extensive sequence diversity and low immunogenicity of envelope glycoprotein vaccine candidates, most notably soluble E2 (sE2). To overcome this, we employed two-component approaches using self-assembling virus-like particles (cVLPs; component 1), displaying monomeric or oligomeric forms of HCV sE2 (sE2mono or sE2oligo; component 2). Immunization studies were performed in BALB/c mice and the neutralizing capacity of vaccine-induced antibodies was tested in cultured-virus-neutralizations, using HCV of genotypes 1–6. sE2-cVLP vaccines induced significantly higher levels of NAbs (p = 0.0065) compared to corresponding sE2 vaccines. Additionally, sE2oligo-cVLP was superior to sE2mono-cVLP in inducing bNAbs. Interestingly, human monoclonal antibody AR2A had reduced binding in ELISA to sE2oligo-cVLP compared with sE2mono-cVLP and competition ELISA using mouse sera from vaccinated animals indicated that sE2oligo-cVLP induced significantly less non-bNAbs AR2A (p = 0.0043) and AR1B (p = 0.017). Thus, cVLP-displayed oligomeric sE2 shows promise as an HCV vaccine candidate.
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Kori M, Arga KY. Human oncogenic viruses: an overview of protein biomarkers in viral cancers and their potential use in clinics. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2022; 22:1211-1224. [PMID: 36270027 DOI: 10.1080/14737140.2022.2139681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although the idea that carcinogenesis might be caused by viruses was first voiced about 100 years ago, today's data disappointingly show that we have not made much progress in preventing and/or treating viral cancers in a century. According to recent studies, infections are responsible for approximately 13% of cancer development in the world. Today, it is accepted and proven by many authorities that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), Human T-cell Lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV1) and highly oncogenic Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause or/and contribute to cancer development in humans. AREAS COVERED Considering the insufficient prevention and/or treatment strategies for viral cancers, in this review we present the current knowledge on protein biomarkers of oncogenic viruses. In addition, we aimed to decipher their potential for clinical use by evaluating whether the proposed biomarkers are expressed in body fluids, are druggable, and act as tumor suppressors or oncoproteins. EXPERT OPINION Consequently, we believe that this review will shed light on researchers and provide a guide to find remarkable solutions for the prevention and/or treatment of viral cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medi Kori
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Kazim Yalcin Arga
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Research and Investigation Center (GEMHAM), Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
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High dose of bile acid enables the cellular entry and replication of hepatitis C virus in vitro. Mol Cell Toxicol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13273-022-00232-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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De Francesco MA, Gargiulo F, Zaltron S, Spinetti A, Castelli F, Caruso A. DAA Treatment Failure in a HIV/HBV/HCV Co-Infected Patient Carrying a Chimeric HCV Genotype 4/1b. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:11655. [PMID: 36141921 PMCID: PMC9517502 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Approved direct antiviral agent (DAA) combinations are associated with high rates of sustained virological response (SVR) and the absence of a detectable hepatitis C viral load 12-24 weeks after treatment discontinuation. However, a low percentage of individuals fail DAA therapy. Here, we report the case of a HIV/HBV/HCV co-infected patient who failed to respond to DAA pangenotypic combination therapy. The sequencing of NS5a, NS5b, NS3 and core regions evidenced a recombinant intergenotypic strain 4/1b with a recombination crossover point located inside the NS3 region. The identification of this natural recombinant virus underlines the concept that HCV recombination, even if it occurs rarely, may play a key role in the virus fitness and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Antonia De Francesco
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Franco Gargiulo
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Serena Zaltron
- Division of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Angiola Spinetti
- Division of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Francesco Castelli
- Division of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Arnaldo Caruso
- Institute of Microbiology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia ASST Spedali Civili, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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Ghamar Talepoor A, Doroudchi M. Immunosenescence in atherosclerosis: A role for chronic viral infections. Front Immunol 2022; 13:945016. [PMID: 36059478 PMCID: PMC9428721 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.945016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune system is a versatile and dynamic body organ which offers survival and endurance of human beings in their hostile living environment. However, similar to other cells, immune cells are hijacked by senescence. The ageing immune cells lose their beneficial functions but continue to produce inflammatory mediators which draw other immune and non-immune cells to the senescence loop. Immunosenescence has been shown to be associated with different pathological conditions and diseases, among which atherosclerosis has recently come to light. There are common drivers of both immunosenescence and atherosclerosis; e.g. inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), chronic viral infections, genomic damage, oxidized-LDL, hypertension, cigarette smoke, hyperglycaemia, and mitochondrial failure. Chronic viral infections induce inflammaging, sustained cytokine signaling, ROS generation and DNA damage which are associated with atherogenesis. Accumulating evidence shows that several DNA and RNA viruses are stimulators of immunosenescence and atherosclerosis in an interrelated network. DNA viruses such as CMV, EBV and HBV upregulate p16, p21 and p53 senescence-associated molecules; induce inflammaging, metabolic reprogramming of infected cells, replicative senescence and telomere shortening. RNA viruses such as HCV and HIV induce ROS generation, DNA damage, induction of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), metabolic reprogramming of infected cells, G1 cell cycle arrest, telomere shortening, as well as epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones. The newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 virus is also a potent inducer of cytokine storm and SASP. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 promotes senescence phenotype in endothelial cells by augmenting p16, p21, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) and adhesion molecules expression. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 mega-inflammation on atherogenesis, however, remains to be investigated. In this review we focus on the common processes in immunosenescence and atherogenesis caused by chronic viral infections and discuss the current knowledge on this topic.
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26
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Frumento N, Figueroa A, Wang T, Zahid MN, Wang S, Massaccesi G, Stavrakis G, Crowe JE, Flyak AI, Ji H, Ray SC, Shaw GM, Cox AL, Bailey JR. Repeated exposure to heterologous hepatitis C viruses associates with enhanced neutralizing antibody breadth and potency. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:e160058. [PMID: 35588376 PMCID: PMC9337827 DOI: 10.1172/jci160058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A prophylactic hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine that elicits neutralizing antibodies could be key to HCV eradication. However, the genetic and antigenic properties of HCV envelope (E1E2) proteins capable of inducing anti-HCV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in humans have not been defined. Here, we investigated the development of bNAbs in longitudinal plasma of HCV-infected persons with persistent infection or spontaneous clearance of multiple reinfections. By measuring plasma antibody neutralization of a heterologous virus panel, we found that the breadth and potency of the antibody response increased upon exposure to multiple genetically distinct infections and with longer duration of viremia. Greater genetic divergence between infecting strains was not associated with enhanced neutralizing breadth. Rather, repeated exposure to antigenically related, antibody-sensitive E1E2s was associated with potent bNAb induction. These data reveal that a prime-boost vaccine strategy with genetically distinct, antibody-sensitive viruses is a promising approach to inducing potent bNAbs in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tingchang Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Muhammad N. Zahid
- University of Bahrain, Department of Biology, College of Science, Sakhir Campus, Bahrain
| | - Shuyi Wang
- Department of Medicine and
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - James E. Crowe
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
- Department of Pediatrics, and
- Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Andrew I. Flyak
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - George M. Shaw
- Department of Medicine and
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Rajasekar SP, Pitchaimani M, Zhu Q. Probing a Stochastic Epidemic Hepatitis C Virus Model with a Chronically Infected Treated Population. ACTA MATHEMATICA SCIENTIA = SHU XUE WU LI XUE BAO 2022; 42:2087-2112. [PMID: 35911571 PMCID: PMC9310688 DOI: 10.1007/s10473-022-0521-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus is hitherto a tremendous threat to human beings, but many researchers have analyzed mathematical models for hepatitis C virus transmission dynamics only in the deterministic case. Stochasticity plays an immense role in pathology and epidemiology. Hence, the main theme of this article is to investigate a stochastic epidemic hepatitis C virus model with five states of epidemiological classification: susceptible, acutely infected, chronically infected, recovered or removed and chronically infected, and treated. The stochastic hepatitis C virus model in epidemiology is established based on the environmental influence on individuals, is manifested by stochastic perturbations, and is proportional to each state. We assert that the stochastic HCV model has a unique global positive solution and attains sufficient conditions for the extinction of the hepatotropic RNA virus. Furthermore, by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution of the solutions to the stochastic HCV model. Moreover, this article confirms that using numerical simulations, the six parameters of the stochastic HCV model can have a high impact over the disease transmission dynamics, specifically the disease transmission rate, the rate of chronically infected population, the rate of progression to chronic infection, the treatment failure rate of chronically infected population, the recovery rate from chronic infection and the treatment rate of the chronically infected population. Eventually, numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of our theoretical conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. P. Rajasekar
- Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 005 India
- Department of Mathematics, Government Arts College for Women, Nilakottai, Tamil Nadu, 624 202 India
| | - M. Pitchaimani
- Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 005 India
| | - Quanxin Zhu
- CHP-LCOCS, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China
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Yamauchi K, Sato M, Osawa L, Matsuda S, Komiyama Y, Nakakuki N, Takada H, Katoh R, Muraoka M, Suzuki Y, Tatsumi A, Miura M, Takano S, Amemiya F, Fukasawa M, Nakayama Y, Yamaguchi T, Inoue T, Maekawa S, Enomoto N. Analysis of direct-acting antiviral-resistant hepatitis C virus haplotype diversity by single-molecule and long-read sequencing. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:1634-1651. [PMID: 35357088 PMCID: PMC9234623 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The method of analyzing individual resistant hepatitis C virus (HCV) by a combination of haplotyping and resistance-associated substitution (RAS) has not been fully elucidated because conventional sequencing has only yielded short and fragmented viral genomes. We performed haplotype analysis of HCV mutations in 12 asunaprevir/daclatasvir treatment-failure cases using the Oxford Nanopore sequencer. This enabled single-molecule long-read sequencing using rolling circle amplification (RCA) for correction of the sequencing error. RCA of the circularized reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction products successfully produced DNA longer than 30 kilobase pairs (kb) containing multiple tandem repeats of a target 3 kb HCV genome. The long-read sequencing of these RCA products could determine the original sequence of the target single molecule as the consensus nucleotide sequence of the tandem repeats and revealed the presence of multiple viral haplotypes with the combination of various mutations in each host. In addition to already known signature RASs, such as NS3-D168 and NS5A-L31/Y93, there were various RASs specific to a different haplotype after treatment failure. The distribution of viral haplotype changed over time; some haplotypes disappeared without acquiring resistant mutations, and other haplotypes, which were not observed before treatment, appeared after treatment. Conclusion: The combination of various mutations other than the known signature RAS was suggested to influence the kinetics of individual HCV quasispecies in the direct-acting antiviral treatment. HCV haplotype dynamic analysis will provide novel information on the role of HCV diversity within the host, which will be useful for elucidating the pathological mechanism of HCV-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kozue Yamauchi
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyFaculty of MedicineUniversity of YamanashiYamanashiJapan
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Salama II, Raslan HM, Abdel-Latif GA, Salama SI, Sami SM, Shaaban FA, Abdelmohsen AM, Fouad WA. Impact of direct-acting antiviral regimens on hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C virus infection. World J Hepatol 2022; 14:1053-1073. [PMID: 35978668 PMCID: PMC9258264 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i6.1053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common cause of liver disease and is associated with various extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs). This mini-review outlines the currently available treatments for HCV infection and their prognostic effect on hepatic manifestations and EHMs. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens are considered pan-genotypic as they achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) > 85% after 12 wk through all the major HCV genotypes, with high percentages of SVR even in advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. The risk factors for DAA failure include old males, cirrhosis, and the presence of resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) in the region targeted by the received DAAs. The effectiveness of DAA regimens is reduced in HCV genotype 3 with baseline RAS like A30K, Y93H, and P53del. Moreover, the European Association for the Study of the Liver recommended the identification of baseline RAS for HCV genotype 1a. The higher rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after DAA therapy may be related to the fact that DAA regimens are offered to patients with advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, where interferon was contraindicated to those patients. The change in the growth of pre-existing subclinical, undetectable HCC upon DAA treatment might be also a cause. Furthermore, after DAA therapy, the T cell-dependent immune response is much weaker upon HCV clearance, and the down-regulation of TNF-α or the elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio might increase the risk of HCC. DAAs can result in reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in HCV co-infected patients. DAAs are effective in treating HCV-associated mixed cryoglobulinemia, with clinical and immunological responses, and have rapid and high effectiveness in thrombocytopenia. DAAs improve insulin resistance in 90% of patients, increase glomerular filtration rate, and decrease proteinuria, hematuria and articular manifestations. HCV clearance by DAAs allows a significant improvement in atherosclerosis and metabolic and immunological conditions, with a reduction of major cardiovascular events. They also improve physical function, fatigue, cognitive impairment, and quality of life. Early therapeutic approach with DAAs is recommended as it cure many of the EHMs that are still in a reversible stage and can prevent others that can develop due to delayed treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Ibrahim Salama
- Department of Community Medicine Research, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Hala M Raslan
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Ghada A Abdel-Latif
- Department of Community Medicine Research, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Somaia I Salama
- Department of Community Medicine Research, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Samia M Sami
- Department of Child Health, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Fatma A Shaaban
- Department of Child Health, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Aida M Abdelmohsen
- Department of Community Medicine Research, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
| | - Walaa A Fouad
- Department of Community Medicine Research, National Research Center, Giza 12622, Dokki, Egypt
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Wang Y, Li Y, Liang X, Xin S, Yang L, Cao P, Jiang M, Xin Y, Zhang S, Yang Y, Lu J. The implications of cell-free DNAs derived from tumor viruses as biomarkers of associated cancers. J Med Virol 2022; 94:4677-4688. [PMID: 35652186 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is still ranked as a leading cause of death according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the strong link between tumor viruses and human cancers have been proved for almost six decades. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has drawn enormous attention for its dynamic, instant, and noninvasive advantages as one popular type of cancer biomarker. cfDNAs are mainly released from apoptotic cells and exosomes released from cancer cells, including those infected with viruses. Although cfDNAs are present at low concentrations in peripheral blood, they can reflect tumor load with high sensitivity. Considering the relevance of the tumor viruses to the associated cancers, cfDNAs derived from viruses may serve as good biomarkers for the early screening, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. In this review, we summarize the methods and newly developed analytic techniques for the detection of cfDNAs from different body fluids, and discuss the implications of cfDNAs derived from different tumor viruses in the detection and treatment monitoring of virus-associated cancers. A better understanding of cfDNAs derived from tumor viruses may help formulate novel anti-tumoral strategies to decrease the burden of cancers that attributed to viruses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Wang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yanling Li
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Xinyu Liang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Shuyu Xin
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Li Yang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Pengfei Cao
- Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China
| | - Mingjuan Jiang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yujie Xin
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Senmiao Zhang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Jianhong Lu
- Hunan Cancer Hospital/the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China.,Department of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410080, Hunan, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
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Cai D, Liu L, Tian B, Fu X, Yang Q, Chen J, Zhang Y, Fang J, Shen L, Wang Y, Gou L, Zuo Z. Dual-Role Ubiquitination Regulation Shuttling the Entire Life Cycle of the Flaviviridae. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:835344. [PMID: 35602051 PMCID: PMC9120866 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.835344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitination is a reversible protein post-translational modification that regulates various pivotal physiological and pathological processes in all eukaryotes. Recently, the antiviral immune response is enhanced by the regulation of ubiquitination. Intriguingly, Flaviviridae viruses can ingeniously hijack the ubiquitination system to help them survive, which has become a hot topic among worldwide researchers. The Flaviviridae family members, such as HCV and CSFV, can cause serious diseases of humans and animals around the world. The multiple roles of ubiquitination involved in the life cycle of Flaviviridae family would open new sight for future development of antiviral tactic. Here, we discuss recent advances with regard to functional roles of ubiquitination and some ubiquitin-like modifications in the life cycle of Flaviviridae infection, shedding new light on the antiviral mechanism research and therapeutic drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjie Cai
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lingli Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bin Tian
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xingxin Fu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiyuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
- Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Luoping County, Luoping, China
| | - Jing Fang
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liuhong Shen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ya Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liping Gou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhicai Zuo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Zhicai Zuo,
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32
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Hagag RS, Fakhry MM, Ahmed OA, Abdalgeleel SA, Radwan MA, Naguib GG. Assessment of efficacy and safety of two Egyptian protocols for treatment-experienced HCV patients: an observational study. THE EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s43162-022-00126-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The devastating adverse effects of interferon (IFN) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) lead to the emerging of direct acting antiviral agents (DAAs). This investigation was undertaken to assess safety and efficacy of two Egyptian DAA protocols for HCV: sofosbuvir (SOF)/daclatasvir (DCV)/simeprevir (SMV)/ribavirin (RBV) and sofosbuvir (SOF)/ombitasvir (OMB)/paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (RTV)/RBV for 12 weeks in treatment-experienced HCV Egyptian patients.
Methods
It is a retrospective study where 139 patients, out of 400 patients, were divided according to their documented treatment protocol into two groups (Gp1: SOF/DCV/SMV/RBV and Gp2: SOF/PTV/OMB/RTV/RBV). All patients’ physical examination, disease history, laboratory baseline, and end of treatment data were collected from their profiles, evaluated and compared.
Results
Gp1 and Gp2 regimens had achieved sustained virologic response rates (SVR12) of 96.6% and 95.1%, respectively. Hemoglobin, ALT, and AST had decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the two groups. Total bilirubin level had increased significantly in Gp1 and Gp2 (P = 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively). Creatinine level had increased significantly (P = 0.002) in Gp1 at end of treatment, while Gp2 remained unchanged. Headache and fatigue were the most common side effects in both protocols.
Conclusions
SOF/DCV/SMV/RBV and SOF/PTV/OMB/RTV/RBV regimens achieved high similar efficacy in Egyptian treatment-experienced HCV patients. Even though the outcome was with tolerable side effects, a better treatment regimen was recommended to abate these side effects for the welfare of Egyptian HCV patients.
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Pihl AF, Feng S, Offersgaard A, Alzua GP, Augestad EH, Mathiesen CK, Jensen TB, Krarup H, Law M, Prentoe J, Christensen JP, Bukh J, Gottwein JM. Inactivated whole hepatitis C virus vaccine employing a licensed adjuvant elicits cross-genotype neutralizing antibodies in mice. J Hepatol 2022; 76:1051-1061. [PMID: 34990750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS A prophylactic vaccine is required to eliminate HCV as a global public health threat. We developed whole virus inactivated HCV vaccine candidates employing a licensed adjuvant. Further, we investigated the effects of HCV envelope protein modifications (to increase neutralization epitope exposure) on immunogenicity. METHODS Whole virus vaccine antigen was produced in Huh7.5 hepatoma cells, processed using a multistep protocol and formulated with adjuvant (MF-59 analogue AddaVax or aluminium hydroxide). We investigated the capacity of IgG purified from the serum of immunized BALB/c mice to neutralize genotype 1-6 HCV (by virus neutralization assays) and to bind homologous envelope proteins (by ELISA). Viruses used for immunizations were (i) HCV5aHi with strain SA13 envelope proteins and modification of an O-linked glycosylation site in E2 (T385P), (ii) HCV5aHi(T385) with reversion of T385P to T385, featuring the original E2 sequence determined in vivo and (iii) HCV5aHi(ΔHVR1) with deletion of HVR1. For these viruses, epitope exposure was investigated using human monoclonal (AR3A and AR4A) and polyclonal (C211 and H06) antibodies in neutralization assays. RESULTS Processed HCV5aHi formulated with AddaVax induced antibodies that efficiently bound homologous envelope proteins and broadly neutralized cultured genotype 1-6 HCV, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations of between 14 and 192 μg/ml (mean of 36 μg/ml against the homologous virus). Vaccination with aluminium hydroxide was less immunogenic. Compared to HCV5aHi(T385) with the original E2 sequence, HCV5aHi with a modified glycosylation site and HCV5aHi(ΔHVR1) without HVR1 showed increased neutralization epitope exposure but similar immunogenicity. CONCLUSION Using an adjuvant suitable for human use, we developed inactivated whole HCV vaccine candidates that induced broadly neutralizing antibodies, which warrant investigation in further pre-clinical studies. LAY SUMMARY A vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is needed to prevent the estimated 2 million new infections and 400,000 deaths caused by this virus each year. We developed inactivated whole HCV vaccine candidates using adjuvants licensed for human use, which, following immunization of mice, induced antibodies that efficiently neutralized all HCV genotypes with recognized epidemiological importance. HCV variants with modified envelope proteins exhibited similar immunogenicity as the virus with the original envelope proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Finne Pihl
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shan Feng
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Offersgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Garazi Peña Alzua
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elias Honerød Augestad
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Kjaerulff Mathiesen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tanja Bertelsen Jensen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Krarup
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Aalborg University Hospital and Clinical Institute, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Mansun Law
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Pravsgaard Christensen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Judith Margarete Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiolgy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Binding of GS-461203 and Its Halogen Derivatives to HCV Genotype 2a RNA Polymerase Drug Resistance Mutants. Sci Pharm 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/scipharm90020026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is reported to develop GS-461203 resistance because of multiple mutations within the RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRp) of HCV. The lack of a high-resolution structure of these RdRp mutants in complex with GS-461203 hinders efforts to understand the drug resistance. Here we decipher the binding differences of GS-461203 in the wild type and mutated systems T179A or M289L of HCV RdRp Genotype 2a using homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. Key residues responsible for GS-461203 binding were identified to be Arg48, Arg158, Asp318, Asp319, and Asp220, and that mutations T179A or M289L have caused conformational changes of GS-461203 in the RdRp active site. The affinities of GS-461203 were reduced in T179A system, but it became slightly stronger in the M289L system. Furthermore, we designed two new analogues of GS-461203 which encouragingly induced more stable interactions than GS-461203, and thus resulted in much better binding energies. This present study reveals how a single mutation, T179A or M289L, will modulate GS-461203 binding in HCV RdRp Genotype 2a, while introducing two novel analogues to overcome the drug resistance which may be good candidate for further experimental verification.
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Sun HY, Cheng CY, Lin CY, Yang CJ, Lee NY, Liou BH, Tang HJ, Liu YM, Lee CY, Chen TC, Huang YC, Lee YT, Tsai MJ, Lu PL, Tsai HC, Wang NC, Hung TC, Cheng SH, Hung CC. Real-world effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals in people living with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus genotype 6 infections. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28:1172-1183. [PMID: 35431505 PMCID: PMC8985481 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i11.1172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 6 (HCV-6) infection is prevalent predominantly in Southeast Asia, and the data on the virologic response of HCV-6 to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are sparse in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH).
AIM To assess the virologic response of HCV-6 to DAAs in PLWH.
METHODS From September 2016 to July 2019, PLWH coinfected with HCV-6 initiating DAAs were included. Laboratory investigations were performed at baseline, the end of treatment, and 12 wk off-therapy.
RESULTS Of the 349 PLWH included (mean age 48.9 years, 82.5% men), 80.5% comprised people who inject drugs, 18.1% men who have sex with men, and 1.4% heterosexuals. Coexistent hepatitis B virus infection was present in 12.3% of the included PLWH, liver cirrhosis 10.9%, hepatocellular carcinoma 0.9%, and previous HCV treatment experience 10.9%. The mean baseline plasma HCV RNA was 6.2 log10 IU/mL. Treatment with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir was initiated in 51.9%, sofosbuvir/ledipasvir 41.5%, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir 6.3%, and sofosbuvir/daclatasvir 0.3%. At DAA initiation, antiretroviral therapy containing tenofovir alafenamide was given in 26.4%, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 34.4%, non-tenofovir alafenamide/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 39.3%, non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors 30.4%, protease inhibitors 4.0%, and integrase strand transfer inhibitors 66.8%; 94.8% of the included patients had CD4 counts ≥ 200 cells/mm3 and 96.0% had plasma HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL. Overall, 96.8% achieved undetectable plasma HCV RNA (< 30 IU/mL) at end of treatment; and 92.3% achieved sustained virologic response 12 wk off-therapy in the intention-to-treat analysis (93.5% in patients receiving sofosbuvir-based DAAs and 91.2% in those receiving glecaprevir/pibrentasvir).
CONCLUSION Similar to the observation made in HIV-negative patients, sustained virologic response 12 wk off-therapy with DAAs is high in PLWH coinfected with HCV-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Yun Sun
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100225, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Yu Cheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan 330215, Taiwan
- School of Public Health, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Ying Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin County 640203, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Jui Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 220216, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
| | - Nan-Yao Lee
- Department of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704302, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Huang Liou
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsin-Chu 300044, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Jen Tang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710402, Taiwan
- Department of Health and Nutrition, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Sciences, Tainan 717301, Taiwan
| | - Yuang-Meng Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 500209, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yuan Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
| | - Tun-Chieh Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung 801735, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chia Huang
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Biomedical Park Branch, Hsin-Chu 302058, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Ti Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402306, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402306, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Jui Tsai
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin County 640203, Taiwan
| | - Po-Liang Lu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital and College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807377, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chin Tsai
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813414, Taiwan
| | - Ning-Chi Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Che Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chia-Yi 600566, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Hsing Cheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan 330215, Taiwan
- School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ching Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100225, Taiwan
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100233, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 404332, Taiwan
- China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
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Four Weeks Treatment with Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir + Ribavirin-A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Viruses 2022; 14:v14030614. [PMID: 35337021 PMCID: PMC8948928 DOI: 10.3390/v14030614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancing treatment uptake for hepatitis C to achieve the elimination goals set by the World Health Organization could be achieved by reducing the treatment duration. The aim of this study was to compare the sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR12) after four weeks of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) + ribavirin compared to eight weeks of GLE/PIB and to estimate predictors for SVR12 with four weeks of treatment through a multicenter open label randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized 2:1 (4 weeks:8 weeks) and stratified by genotype 3 and were treatment naïve of all genotypes and without significant liver fibrosis. A total of 27 patients were analyzed for predictors for SVR12, including 15 from the first pilot phase of the study. In the ‘modified intention to treat’ group, 100% (7/7) achieved cure after eight weeks and for patients treated for four weeks the SVR12 was 58.3% (7/12). However, patients with a baseline viral load <2 mill IU/mL had 93% SVR12. The study closed prematurely due to the low number of included patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results suggest that viral load should be taken into account when considering trials of short course treatment.
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Pham LV, Pedersen MS, Fahnøe U, Fernandez-Antunez C, Humes D, Schønning K, Ramirez S, Bukh J. HCV genome-wide analysis for development of efficient culture systems and unravelling of antiviral resistance in genotype 4. Gut 2022; 71:627-642. [PMID: 33833066 PMCID: PMC8862099 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-323585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE HCV-genotype 4 infections are a major cause of liver diseases in the Middle East/Africa with certain subtypes associated with increased risk of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment failures. We aimed at developing infectious genotype 4 cell culture systems to understand the evolutionary genetic landscapes of antiviral resistance, which can help preserve the future efficacy of DAA-based therapy. DESIGN HCV recombinants were tested in liver-derived cells. Long-term coculture with DAAs served to induce antiviral-resistance phenotypes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the entire HCV-coding sequence identified mutation networks. Resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) were studied using reverse-genetics. RESULT The in-vivo infectious ED43(4a) clone was adapted in Huh7.5 cells, using substitutions identified in ED43(Core-NS5A)/JFH1-chimeric viruses combined with selected NS5B-changes. NGS, and linkage analysis, permitted identification of multiple genetic branches emerging during culture adaptation, one of which had 31 substitutions leading to robust replication/propagation. Treatment of culture-adapted ED43 with nine clinically relevant protease-DAA, NS5A-DAA and NS5B-DAA led to complex dynamics of drug-target-specific RAS with coselection of genome-wide substitutions. Approved DAA combinations were efficient against the original virus, but not against variants with RAS in corresponding drug targets. However, retreatment with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir remained efficient against NS5A inhibitor and sofosbuvir resistant variants. Recombinants with specific RAS at NS3-156, NS5A-28, 30, 31 and 93 and NS5B-282 were viable, but NS3-A156M and NS5A-L30Δ (deletion) led to attenuated phenotypes. CONCLUSION Rapidly emerging complex evolutionary landscapes of mutations define the persistence of HCV-RASs conferring resistance levels leading to treatment failure in genotype 4. The high barrier to resistance of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir could prevent persistence and propagation of antiviral resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long V. Pham
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Schou Pedersen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlota Fernandez-Antunez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daryl Humes
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Schønning
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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38
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High-Titer Hepatitis C Virus Production in a Scalable Single-Use High Cell Density Bioreactor. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020249. [PMID: 35214707 PMCID: PMC8880717 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections pose a major public health burden due to high chronicity rates and associated morbidity and mortality. A vaccine protecting against chronic infection is not available but would be important for global control of HCV infections. In this study, cell culture-based HCV production was established in a packed-bed bioreactor (CelCradle™) aiming to further the development of an inactivated whole virus vaccine and to facilitate virological and immunological studies requiring large quantities of virus particles. HCV was produced in human hepatoma-derived Huh7.5 cells maintained in serum-free medium on days of virus harvesting. Highest virus yields were obtained when the culture was maintained with two medium exchanges per day. However, increasing the total number of cells in the culture vessel negatively impacted infectivity titers. Peak infectivity titers of up to 7.2 log10 focus forming units (FFU)/mL, accumulated virus yields of up to 5.9 × 1010 FFU, and a cell specific virus yield of up to 41 FFU/cell were obtained from one CelCradle™. CelCradle™-derived and T flask-derived virus had similar characteristics regarding neutralization sensitivity and buoyant density. This packed-bed tide-motion system is available with larger vessels and may thus be a promising platform for large-scale HCV production.
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Zephyr J, Nageswara Rao D, Vo SV, Henes M, Kosovrasti K, Matthew AN, Hedger AK, Timm J, Chan ET, Ali A, Kurt Yilmaz N, Schiffer CA. Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism of HCV Protease Inhibitor Fluorination as a General Approach to Avoid Drug Resistance. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167503. [PMID: 35183560 PMCID: PMC9189784 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Third generation Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PIs), glecaprevir and voxilaprevir, are highly effective across genotypes and against many resistant variants. Unlike earlier PIs, these compounds have fluorine substitutions on the P2-P4 macrocycle and P1 moieties. Fluorination has long been used in medicinal chemistry as a strategy to improve physicochemical properties and potency. However, the molecular basis by which fluorination improves potency and resistance profile of HCV NS3/4A PIs is not well understood. To systematically analyze the contribution of fluorine substitutions to inhibitor potency and resistance profile, we used a multi-disciplinary approach involving inhibitor design and synthesis, enzyme inhibition assays, co-crystallography, and structural analysis. A panel of inhibitors in matched pairs were designed with and without P4 cap fluorination, tested against WT protease and the D168A resistant variant, and a total of 22 high-resolution co-crystal structures were determined. While fluorination did not significantly improve potency against the WT protease, PIs with fluorinated P4 caps retained much better potency against the D168A protease variant. Detailed analysis of the co-crystal structures revealed that PIs with fluorinated P4 caps can sample alternate binding conformations that enable adapting to structural changes induced by the D168A substitution. Our results elucidate molecular mechanisms of fluorine-specific inhibitor interactions that can be leveraged in avoiding drug resistance.
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40
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Galli A, Fahnøe U, Bukh J. High Recombination Rate of Hepatitis C Virus Revealed by a Green Fluorescent Protein Reconstitution Cell System. Virus Evol 2021; 8:veab106. [PMID: 35223082 PMCID: PMC8865082 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic recombination is an important evolutionary mechanism for RNA viruses and can facilitate escape from immune and drug pressure. Recombinant hepatitis C virus (HCV) variants have rarely been detected in patients, suggesting that HCV has intrinsic low recombination rate. Recombination of HCV has been demonstrated in vitro between non-functional genomes, but its frequency and relevance for viral evolution and life cycle has not been clarified. We developed a cell-based assay to detect and quantify recombination between fully viable HCV genomes, using the reconstitution of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a surrogate marker for recombination. Here, two GFP-expressing HCV genomes carrying different inactivating GFP mutations can produce a virus carrying a functional GFP by recombining within the GFP region. Generated constructs allowed quantification of recombination rates between markers spaced 603 and 553 nucleotides apart by flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Viral constructs showed comparable spread kinetics and reached similar infectivity titers in Huh7.5 cells, allowing their use in co-transfections and co-infections. Single-cycle co-transfection experiments, performed in CD81-deficient S29 cells, showed GFP expression in double-infected cells, demonstrating genome mixing and occurrence of recombination. Quantification of recombinant genomes by NGS revealed an average rate of 6.1 per cent, corresponding to 49 per cent of maximum detectable recombination (MDR). Experiments examining recombination during the full replication cycle of HCV, performed in Huh7.5 cells, demonstrated average recombination rates of 5.0 per cent (40.0 per cent MDR) and 3.6 per cent (28.8 per cent MDR) for markers spaced by 603 and 553 nucleotides, respectively, supporting a linear relationship between marker distance and recombination rates. First passage infections using recombinant virus supernatant resulted in comparable recombination rates of 5.9 per cent (47.2 per cent MDR) and 3.5 per cent (28.0 per cent MDR), respectively, for markers spaced by 603 and 553 nucleotides. We developed a functional cell-based assay that, to the best of our knowledge, allows for the first time detailed quantification of recombination rates using fully viable HCV constructs. Our data indicate that HCV recombines at high frequency between highly similar genomes and that the frequency of recombination increases with the distance between marker sites. These results have implication for our understanding of HCV evolution and emphasize the importance of recombination in the reassortment of mutations in the HCV genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Galli
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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41
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Zhang J, Li H, Lin B, Luo X, Yin P, Yi T, Xue B, Zhang XL, Zhu H, Nie Z. Development of Near-Infrared Nucleic Acid Mimics of Fluorescent Proteins for In Vivo Imaging of Viral RNA with Turn-On Fluorescence. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:19317-19329. [PMID: 34762804 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c04577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
GFP-like fluorescent proteins and their molecular mimics have revolutionized bioimaging research, but their emissions are largely limited in the visible to far-red region, hampering the in vivo applications in intact animals. Herein, we structurally modulate GFP-like chromophores using a donor-acceptor-acceptor (D-A-A') molecular configuration to discover a set of novel fluorogenic derivatives with infrared-shifted spectra. These chromophores can be fluorescently elicited by their specific interaction with G-quadruplex (G4), a unique noncanonical nucleic acid secondary structure, via inhibition of the chromophores' twisted-intramolecular charge transfer. This feature allows us to create, for the first time, FP mimics with tunable emission in the near-infrared (NIR) region (Emmax = 664-705 nm), namely, infrared G-quadruplex mimics of FPs (igMFP). Compared with their FP counterparts, igMFPs exhibit remarkably higher quantum yields, larger Stokes shift, and better photostability. In a proof-of-concept application using pathogen-related G4s as the target, we exploited igMFPs to directly visualize native hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome in living cells via their in situ formation by the chromophore-bound viral G4 structure in the HCV core gene. Furthermore, igMFPs are capable of high contrast HCV RNA imaging in living mice bearing a HCV RNA-presenting mini-organ, providing the first application of FP mimics in whole-animal imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Huiyi Li
- Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Lin
- Pharmaceutical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingyu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Binbin Xue
- Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Lian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Haizhen Zhu
- Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhou Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
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42
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Madsen LW, Christensen PB, Fahnøe U, Pedersen MS, Bukh J, Øvrehus A. Inferior cure rate in pilot study of 4-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir treatment with or without ribavirin of chronic hepatitis C. Liver Int 2021; 41:2601-2610. [PMID: 34154034 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Shortening the treatment duration for chronic hepatitis C may increase feasibility and reduce the cost of cure. The aims of this study were to compare 4 weeks of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) treatment with and without ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C and favourable baseline characteristics and to monitor the development of resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) and re-treatment outcomes if treatment failed. METHODS We performed an open-label single-centre randomized controlled trial, in which patients with chronic hepatitis C were randomized 1:1 to GLE/PIB ± ribavirin, stratified by genotype 3. The main inclusion criteria were treatment-naive patients, aged 18-49 with all genotypes accepted, and absence of liver fibrosis, determined by liver stiffness measurement less than 8 kPa. Viral genome sequences were determined by deep sequencing at baseline and at the time of relapse. RESULTS A total of 32 patients started treatment. Sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR12) was 59% (10/17) for GLE/PIB without ribavirin and 73% (11/15) for GLE/PIB with ribavirin. Drug target-specific NS5A RAS were detected at baseline for 45% (5/11) of patients with treatment failure and for 14% (3/21) of patients who achieved SVR12. Ten failure patients were retreated 12 weeks with sofosbuvir-based regimens; all have been cured. CONCLUSIONS In this pilot study of 4-week treatment with GLE/PIB with and without ribavirin, we found that baseline RAS were more frequent in patients with virological failure. Development of RAS did occur after short treatment but did not result in retreatment failure with a different regimen. EudraCT no: 2017-005179-21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lone W Madsen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,OPEN, Odense Patient data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Peer B Christensen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,OPEN, Odense Patient data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin S Pedersen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Øvrehus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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43
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Ko K, Akita T, Satake M, Tanaka J. Epidemiology of viral hepatitis C: Road to elimination in Japan. Glob Health Med 2021; 3:262-269. [PMID: 34782867 DOI: 10.35772/ghm.2021.01069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Although HCV infection was the main cause of HCC in Japan contributing 70% over two decades after its first cloning in 1989, it was markedly decreased to 49% in 2013 and expected to decrease continuously. Based on blood donor national database, the new incident cases were 0.4/100,000 person-years, the prevalence was 0.13% and the total number was 890,902-1,302,179 in 2015. Establishment of blood donor screening with anti-HCV measurement and nucleic acid test introduced by Japanese Red Cross as pioneer, high-level medical and surgical care, and the government's policy under the Basic Act on Hepatitis Control have changed its epidemiology and outbreak trend and also enforced the disruption of potential transmission cascades. HCV prevalence among the younger generation was extremely low in all regions, and the predominant age for HCC has shifted to over 60 years old population. Considering such changes, HCV induced HCC occurrence is supposed to be ultimately suppressed in the near future. However, taking into account society changes, regulating intravenous drugs users and monitoring high-risk groups such as tattoos, and men who have sex with men are indeed required in Japan. Understanding the epidemiological changes in HCV is important in assigning, modifying, and designating effective response systems. Selective or national action plans, strategic approaches, and cooperation between government sectors have a positive impact on HCV prevention and control. A dramatic decrease in total number of HCV carriers, increase in number of people treated with highly effective DAA, and subsequent high SVR indicates Japan might achieve WHO's target of HCV elimination by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ko Ko
- Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Akita
- Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Masahiro Satake
- Central Blood Institute, Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junko Tanaka
- Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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44
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Wang Y, Cheng G, Lau G. Achieving WHO target of HCV control in Hong Kong: challenges and strategies. Glob Health Med 2021; 3:276-282. [PMID: 34782869 DOI: 10.35772/ghm.2021.01075] [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: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
With the introduction of effective directly acting antiviral agents (DAAs) therapy, control and elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is becoming a feasible goal. In Hong Kong, HCV prevalence in general population is 0.3%-0.5% over the past decades. However, like other high-income areas/countries, high prevalence of HCV infection has been found in several population groups, such as people who inject drugs (PWID), patients undergoing dialysis, and human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/ AIDS) patients. Based on the epidemiological study using data retrieved from the Hong Kong HCV Registry from January 2005 to March 2017, the estimated territory-wide diagnosis rate and treatment rate of HCV infection were only 50.9% and 12.4%, respectively. Although these rates was comparable to many developed countries/areas, the performances remained substantially below 90% and 80%, the 2030 targets proposed by World Health Organization (WHO). In recognition of the challenges, the Hong Kong Government set up the Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis (SCVH) which formulated the Hong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2020-2024. The Action Plan adopts four key strategies, as described in the WHO framework for global action, namely, awareness, surveillance, prevention and treatment. With the effective implementation of the Action Plan, especially in targeted screening of high-risk populations and more generalized use of the highly efficacious DAAs for all diagnosed HCV subjects, the goals of reducing HCV transmission and HCV-related morbidity and mortality can be achieved in Hong Kong by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudong Wang
- Humanity and Health Clinical Trial Center, Humanity & Health Medical Group, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gregory Cheng
- Humanity and Health Clinical Trial Center, Humanity & Health Medical Group, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - George Lau
- Humanity and Health Clinical Trial Center, Humanity & Health Medical Group, Hong Kong SAR, China.,The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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45
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Echeverría N, Comas V, Aldunate F, Perbolianachis P, Moreno P, Cristina J. In the era of rapid mRNA-based vaccines: Why is there no effective hepatitis C virus vaccine yet? World J Hepatol 2021; 13:1234-1268. [PMID: 34786164 PMCID: PMC8568586 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v13.i10.1234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for no less than 71 million people chronically infected and is one of the most frequent indications for liver transplantation worldwide. Despite direct-acting antiviral therapies fuel optimism in controlling HCV infections, there are several obstacles regarding treatment accessibility and reinfection continues to remain a possibility. Indeed, the majority of new HCV infections in developed countries occur in people who inject drugs and are more plausible to get reinfected. To achieve global epidemic control of this virus the development of an effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine becomes a must. The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic led to auspicious vaccine development against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which has renewed interest on fighting HCV epidemic with vaccination. The aim of this review is to highlight the current situation of HCV vaccine candidates designed to prevent and/or to reduce HCV infectious cases and their complications. We will emphasize on some of the crossroads encountered during vaccine development against this insidious virus, together with some key aspects of HCV immunology which have, so far, hampered the progress in this area. The main focus will be on nucleic acid-based as well as recombinant viral vector-based vaccine candidates as the most novel vaccine approaches, some of which have been recently and successfully employed for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Finally, some ideas will be presented on which methods to explore for the design of live-attenuated vaccines against HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Echeverría
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Victoria Comas
- Departamento de Desarrollo Biotecnológico, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - Fabián Aldunate
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Paula Perbolianachis
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Pilar Moreno
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Juan Cristina
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
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46
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Malandris K, Kalopitas G, Theocharidou E, Germanidis G. The Role of RASs /RVs in the Current Management of HCV. Viruses 2021; 13:2096. [PMID: 34696525 PMCID: PMC8539246 DOI: 10.3390/v13102096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The approval of combination therapies with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens has led to significant progress in the field of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. Although most patients treated with these agents achieve a virological cure, resistance to DAAs is a major issue. The rapid emergence of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs), in particular in the context of incomplete drug pressure, has an impact on sustained virological response (SVR) rates. Several RASs in NS3, NS5A and NS5B have been linked with reduced susceptibility to DAAs. RAS vary based on HCV characteristics and the different drug classes. DAA-resistant HCV variant haplotypes (RVs) are dominant in cases of virological failure. Viruses with resistance to NS3-4A protease inhibitors are only detected in the peripheral blood in a time frame ranging from weeks to months following completion of treatment, whereas NS5A inhibitor-resistant viruses may persist for years. Novel agents have been developed that demonstrate promising results in DAA-experienced patients. The recent approval of broad-spectrum drug combinations with a high genetic barrier to resistance and antiviral potency may overcome the problem of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Malandris
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece; (K.M.); (E.T.)
| | - Georgios Kalopitas
- First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece;
- Basic and Translational Research Unit, Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Eleni Theocharidou
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece; (K.M.); (E.T.)
| | - Georgios Germanidis
- First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece;
- Basic and Translational Research Unit, Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
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47
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Pedersen MS, Fahnøe U, Madsen LW, Christensen PB, Øvrehus A, Bukh J. Characterization of a Novel Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 Subtype from a Patient Failing 4 Weeks of Glecaprevir-Pibrentasvir Treatment. Microbiol Resour Announc 2021; 10:e0075521. [PMID: 34647796 PMCID: PMC8515882 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00755-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited information is available in relation to surveillance, genotyping, genome sequences, and treatment outcomes for rare hepatitis C virus variants. Here, we have characterized a novel subtype of major hepatitis C virus genotype 1, which was deep sequenced before and after treatment failure with 4 weeks of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin S. Pedersen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- CO-HEP, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- CO-HEP, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lone W. Madsen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Peer B. Christensen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anne Øvrehus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- CO-HEP, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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48
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Clark PJ. Eliminating hepatitis C in Australia needs informed patients and enabled GPs. Med J Aust 2021; 215:318-319. [PMID: 34519036 DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Clark
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.,Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD.,Mater Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
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Frumento N, Flyak AI, Bailey JR. Mechanisms of HCV resistance to broadly neutralizing antibodies. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 50:23-29. [PMID: 34329953 PMCID: PMC8500940 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) block infection by genetically diverse hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates by targeting relatively conserved epitopes on the HCV envelope glycoproteins, E1 and E2. Many amino acid substitutions conferring resistance to these bNAbs have been characterized, identifying multiple mechanisms of bNAb escape. Some resistance substitutions follow the expected mechanism of directly disrupting targeted epitopes. Interestingly, other resistance substitutions fall in E2 domains distant from bNAb-targeted epitopes. These substitutions, which can confer broad resistance to multiple bNAbs, act by less clearly defined mechanisms. Some modulate binding of HCV to cell surface receptors, while others may induce conformational changes in the E2 protein. In this review, we discuss mechanisms of HCV bNAb resistance and implications for HCV vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Frumento
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Andrew I Flyak
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Sher M, Faheem A, Asghar W, Cinti S. Nano-engineered screen-printed electrodes: A dynamic tool for detection of viruses. Trends Analyt Chem 2021; 143:116374. [PMID: 34177011 PMCID: PMC8215883 DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in the development of portable, cost-effective, and easy-to-use biosensors for the rapid detection of diseases caused by infectious viruses: COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the central role of diagnostics in response to global outbreaks. Among all the existing technologies, screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) represent a valuable technology for the detection of various viral pathogens. During the last five years, various nanomaterials have been utilized to modify SPEs to achieve convincing effects on the analytical performances of portable SPE-based diagnostics. Herein we would like to provide the readers a comprehensive investigation about the recent combination of SPEs and various nanomaterials for detecting viral pathogens. Manufacturing methods and features advances are critically discussed in the context of early-stage detection of diseases caused by HIV-1, HBV, HCV, Zika, Dengue, and Sars-CoV-2. A detailed table is reported to easily guide readers toward the "right" choice depending on the virus of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazhar Sher
- Asghar-Lab, Micro and Nanotechnology in Medicine, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
- Department of Computer & Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Aroosha Faheem
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Sciences and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Waseem Asghar
- Asghar-Lab, Micro and Nanotechnology in Medicine, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
- Department of Computer & Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences (Courtesy Appointment), Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Stefano Cinti
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Via D. Montesano 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
- BAT Center-Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-Environmental Technology, University of Napoli "Federico II", 80055 Naples, Italy
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