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Naully PG, Tan MI, Agustiningsih A, Sukowati C, Giri-Rachman EA. cccDNA epigenetic regulator as target for therapeutical vaccine development against hepatitis B. Ann Hepatol 2024; 30:101533. [PMID: 39147134 DOI: 10.1016/j.aohep.2024.101533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) remains a global health concern, with currently available antiviral therapies demonstrating limited effectiveness in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Two primary challenges in CHB treatment include the persistence of the minichromosome, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the failure of the host immune response to eliminate cccDNA. Recent findings indicate several host and HBV proteins involved in the epigenetic regulation of cccDNA, including HBV core protein (HBc) and HBV x protein (HBx). Both proteins might contribute to the stability of the cccDNA minichromosome and interact with viral and host proteins to support transcription. One potential avenue for CHB treatment involves the utilization of therapeutic vaccines. This paper explores HBV antigens suitable for epigenetic manipulation of cccDNA, elucidates their mechanisms of action, and evaluates their potential as key components of epigenetically-driven vaccines for CHB therapy. Molecular targeted agents with therapeutic vaccines offer a promising strategy for addressing CHB by targeting the virus and enhancing the host's immunological response. Despite challenges, the development of these vaccines provides new hope for CHB patients by emphasizing the need for HBV antigens that induce effective immune responses without causing T cell exhaustion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Gita Naully
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Jenderal Achmad Yani University, Cimahi 40525, Indonesia
| | - Marselina Irasonia Tan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - Agustiningsih Agustiningsih
- Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), Jakarta Pusat 10340, Indonesia
| | - Caecilia Sukowati
- Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), Jakarta Pusat 10340, Indonesia; Liver Cancer Unit, Fondazione Italiana Fegato ONLUS, AREA Science Park, Basovizza 34049, Trieste, Italy
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Zhang Y, Mou Y, Chen M, Lin X, Zhao Y, Luo X. Binary split fluorescent biosensor based on lettuce DNA aptamer for label-free and enzyme-free analysis of hepatitis B viral DNA. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2024; 16:4561-4569. [PMID: 38912590 DOI: 10.1039/d4ay00713a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) acts as a severe public health threat, causing chronic liver diseases. Although the quantified evaluation of HBV infection can be obtained by estimating the capacity of the HBV DNA genome, it still lacks an effective and robust detection method without using enzymes or chemical labeling. Herein, we have designed a binary split fluorescent DNA aptasensor (bsFDA) by rationally splitting the lettuce aptamer into two functional DNA short chains and utilizing the HBV DNA segment complementary sequences (HDs). In this strategy, the bsFDA has been investigated to specifically recognize the HDs, forming a triplex DNA with the lettuce aptamer structure. Meanwhile, the turn-on fluorescence of bsFDA is obtained upon formation of a fluorescent complex between DFHO and the triplex DNA structure, allowing the enzyme-free, label-free, fast-responsive, and reliable fluorescence readout for detecting HDs and the potential HDs mutants. Moreover, bsFDA has been applied for spiked HDs analysis in different real matrixes, including human serum and cell lysate. The satisfactory recovery rates and reproducibility of the bsFDA reveal its potential detection efficacy for HDs analysis in biological samples. Overall, bsFDA holds great potential in developing functionalized aptasensors and realizing viral genome analysis in biological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfei Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
| | - Yue Mou
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
| | - Meiyun Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
| | - Xinru Lin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
| | - Yujie Zhao
- Medical College, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
| | - Xingyu Luo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
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Lee J, Kim J, Lee R, Lee E, An H, Kwon Y, Jin H, Pack C, Kim I, Yoon Y, Park G, Jwa E, Kwon JH, Namgoong J, Song G, Hwang S, Tak E, Lee S. SOD1 inhibition enhances sorafenib efficacy in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma by modulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and ROS-mediated cell death. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18533. [PMID: 39034442 PMCID: PMC11260765 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection significantly elevates the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with the HBV X protein (HBx) playing a crucial role in cancer progression. Sorafenib, the primary therapy for advanced HCC, shows limited effectiveness in HBV-infected patients due to HBx-related resistance. Numerous studies have explored combination therapies to overcome this resistance. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), known for its anticancer effects and its inhibition of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), is hypothesized to counteract sorafenib (SF) resistance in HBV-positive HCCs. Our research demonstrates that combining DDC with SF significantly reduces HBx and SOD1 expressions in HBV-positive HCC cells and human tissues. This combination therapy disrupts the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway and promotes apoptosis by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. These cellular changes lead to reduced tumour viability and enhanced sensitivity to SF, as evidenced by the synergistic suppression of tumour growth in xenograft models. Additionally, DDC-mediated suppression of SOD1 further enhances SF sensitivity in HBV-positive HCC cells and xenografted animals, thereby inhibiting cancer progression more effectively. These findings suggest that the DDC-SF combination could serve as a promising strategy for overcoming SF resistance in HBV-related HCC, potentially optimizing therapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jooyoung Lee
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Jiye Kim
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Ryunjin Lee
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Eunkyeong Lee
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Hye‐In An
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Yong‐Jae Kwon
- Department of Surgery, Gangneung Asan HospitalUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Hana Jin
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Chan‐Gi Pack
- Convergence Medicine Research Center (CREDIT)Asan Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical CenterSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Inki Kim
- Convergence Medicine Research Center (CREDIT)Asan Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical CenterSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Young‐In Yoon
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Gil‐Chun Park
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Eun‐Kyoung Jwa
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Jae Hyun Kwon
- Department of Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart HospitalHallym University College of MedicineAnyangSouth Korea
| | - Jung‐Man Namgoong
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Gi‐Won Song
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Shin Hwang
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Eunyoung Tak
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, AMIST, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
| | - Sung‐Gyu Lee
- Division of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical CenterUniversity of Ulsan College of MedicineSeoulSouth Korea
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Galasso L, Cerrito L, Maccauro V, Termite F, Mignini I, Esposto G, Borriello R, Ainora ME, Gasbarrini A, Zocco MA. Inflammatory Response in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Double-Edged Weapon. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7191. [PMID: 39000296 PMCID: PMC11241080 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent among primary liver tumors (90%) and one of the main causes of cancer-related death. It develops usually in a chronically inflamed environment, ranging from compensatory parenchymal regeneration to fibrosis and cirrhosis: carcinogenesis can potentially happen in each of these stages. Inflammation determined by chronic viral infection (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis delta viruses) represents an important risk factor for HCC etiology through both viral direct damage and immune-related mechanisms. The deregulation of the physiological liver immunological network determined by viral infection can lead to carcinogenesis. The recent introduction of immunotherapy as the gold-standard first-line treatment for HCC highlights the role of the immune system and inflammation as a double-edged weapon in both HCC carcinogenesis and treatment. In this review we highlight how the inflammation is the key for the hepatocarcinogenesis in viral, alcohol and metabolic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Galasso
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Cerrito
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Maccauro
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Termite
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Mignini
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Esposto
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele Borriello
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Ainora
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Gasbarrini
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Assunta Zocco
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino, Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
- CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University of Rome, 00168 Rome, Italy
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Song J, Liu L, Wang Z, Xie D, Azami NLB, Lu L, Huang Y, Ye W, Zhang Q, Sun M. CCL20 and CD8A as potential diagnostic biomarkers for HBV-induced liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28329. [PMID: 38596115 PMCID: PMC11002547 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The main cause of the liver fibrosis (LF) remains hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, especially in China. Histologically, liver fibrosis still occurs progressively in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, even if HBV-DNA is negative or undetectable. The diagnosis of LF is beneficial to control the development of it, also it may promote the reversal of LF. Although liver biopsy is the gold standard of diagnosis in LF at present, it isa traumatic diagnosis. There are no diagnostic biomarkers as yet for the condition. It is badly in need of biomarkers clinically, which is simple to test, minimally invasive, highly specific, and sensitive. Early detection of HBV-LF development is crucial in the prevention, treatment, and prognosis prediction of HBV-LF. Cytokines are closely associated with both immune regulation and inflammation in the progression of hepatitis B virus associated-liver fibrosis (HBV-LF). In this bioinformatic study, we not only analyzed the relationship between HBV-LF and immune infiltration, but also identified key genes to uncover new therapeutic targets. Objectives To find potential biomarkers for liver fibrosis in the development of chronic hepatic B patients. Materials and methods We obtained two sets of data including CHB/healthy control and CHB/HBV-LF from the Integrated Gene Expression (GEO) database to select for differential expression analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was also generated, while key genes and important gene modules involved in the occurrence and development of HBV-LF were identified. These key genes were analyzed by functional enrichment analysis, module analysis, and survival analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between these two diseases and immune infiltration was explored. Results Among the identified genes, 150 were individually associated with CHB and healthy control in the differential gene expression (DGE) analysis. While 14 with CHB and HBV-LF. It was also analyzed in the Robust rank aggregation (RRA) analysis, 34 differential genes were further identified by Cytohubba. Among 34 differential genes, two core genes were determined: CCL20 and CD8A. CCL20 was able to predict CHB positivity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC-ROC] = 0.883, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.786-0.963), while HBV-LF positivity ([AUC-ROC] = 0.687, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.592-0.779). And CD8A was able to predict CHB positivity ([AUC-ROC] = 0.960, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.915-0.992), while HBV-LF positivity ([AUC-ROC] = 0.773, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.680-0.856). Relationship between CCL20 gene expression and LF grades was P < 0.05, as well as CD8A. Conclusion CCL20 and CD8A were found to be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HBV-LF. It is instructive for research on the progression of LF in HBV patients, suppression of chronic inflammation, and development of molecularly targeted-therapy for HBV-LF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingru Song
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Hangzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310007, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Dong Xie
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Nisma Lena Bahaji Azami
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yanping Huang
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200336, China
| | - Wei Ye
- Hangzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310007, China
| | - Qin Zhang
- Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200336, China
| | - Mingyu Sun
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
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Su X, Wang Z, Li J, Gao S, Fan Y, Wang K. Hypermethylation of the glutathione peroxidase 4 gene promoter is associated with the occurrence of immune tolerance phase in chronic hepatitis B. Virol J 2024; 21:72. [PMID: 38515187 PMCID: PMC10958902 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02346-6] [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: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health problem that seriously threatens human health. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) in the occurrence and development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS A total of 169 participants including 137 patients with CHB and 32 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. We detected the expression of GPX4 and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The methylation level of GPX4 gene promoter in PBMCs was detected by TaqMan probe-based quantitative methylation-specific PCR (MethyLight). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the serum levels of GPX4, IFN-β, oxidative stress (OS) related molecules, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. RESULTS The expression levels of GPX4 in PBMCs and serum of CHB patients were lower than those of HCs, but the methylation levels of GPX4 promoter were higher than those of HCs, especially in patients at the immune tolerance phase. STING mRNA expression levels in PBMCs and serum IFN-β levels of patients at the immune activation phase and reactivation phase of CHB were higher than those at other clinical phases of CHB and HCs. GPX4 mRNA expression level and methylation level in PBMCs from patients with CHB had a certain correlation with STING and IFN-β expression levels. In addition, the methylation level of the GPX4 promoter in PBMCs from patients with CHB was correlated with molecules associated with OS and inflammation. CONCLUSIONS GPX4 may play an important role in the pathogenesis and immune tolerance of CHB, which may provide new ideas for the functional cure of CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Su
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Zhaohui Wang
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Jihui Li
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Shuai Gao
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
- Hepatology Institute of Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yuchen Fan
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
- Hepatology Institute of Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 107#, 250012, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China.
- Hepatology Institute of Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, Shandong, China.
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Harris JM, Magri A, Faria AR, Tsukuda S, Balfe P, Wing PAC, McKeating JA. Oxygen-dependent histone lysine demethylase 4 restricts hepatitis B virus replication. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105724. [PMID: 38325742 PMCID: PMC10914488 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105724] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammalian cells have evolved strategies to regulate gene expression when oxygen is limited. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) are the major transcriptional regulators of host gene expression. We previously reported that HIFs bind and activate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA transcription under low oxygen conditions; however, the global cellular response to low oxygen is mediated by a family of oxygenases that work in concert with HIFs. Recent studies have identified a role for chromatin modifiers in sensing cellular oxygen and orchestrating transcriptional responses, but their role in the HBV life cycle is as yet undefined. We demonstrated that histone lysine demethylase 4 (KDM4) can restrict HBV, and pharmacological or oxygen-mediated inhibition of the demethylase increases viral RNAs derived from both episomal and integrated copies of the viral genome. Sequencing studies demonstrated that KDM4 is a major regulator of the hepatic transcriptome, which defines hepatocellular permissivity to HBV infection. We propose a model where HBV exploits cellular oxygen sensors to replicate and persist in the liver. Understanding oxygen-dependent pathways that regulate HBV infection will facilitate the development of physiologically relevant cell-based models that support efficient HBV replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Harris
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Magri
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ana Rita Faria
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Senko Tsukuda
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Balfe
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter A C Wing
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Jane A McKeating
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Lin SH, Wu KT, Wang CC, Huang KT, Hsu LW, Eng HL, Chiu KW. Immune Responses to Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies during Pre-Liver Transplantation Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Recipients Associated with Post-Liver Transplantation Allograft Injury. Antibodies (Basel) 2024; 13:7. [PMID: 38247571 PMCID: PMC10801541 DOI: 10.3390/antib13010007] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The impact of antibody responses following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected recipients before and after liver transplantation (LT) is still undetermined. METHODS In this observational cohort study, we aimed to explore the association between changes in anti-HCV antibody titers following pre-LT DAA therapy and allograft injury, including biliary complications (BCs) and acute cellular rejection (ACR). RESULTS A total of 153 cases were enrolled from January 2015 to February 2021. Serum anti-HCV antibody titers were assessed before and after (day 30) LT. Among all recipients, 31/153 (20.3%) had pre-LT DAA therapy (the DAA group) and 122/153 (79.7%) did not undergo pre-LT DAA therapy (the DAA-naïve group). A higher incidence of post-LT BCs was observed in the DAA group (p = 0.028). Compared with the DAA-naïve group, the DAA group had a significantly higher mean level of anti-HCV titer upregulation (p = 0.0024); furthermore, among the recipients with BCs (n = 28) and ACR (n = 41), those in the DAA group exhibited significantly higher mean levels of anti-HCV antibody titer upregulation (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we speculate that the upregulation of anti-HCV antibody titers, which might have been induced via the restoration of HCV-specific immune responses through pre-LT DAA therapy, was associated with post-LT allograft injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Hsien Lin
- Division of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan;
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
| | - Kun-Ta Wu
- E-Da Healthcare Group, E-Da Hospital, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan;
| | - Chih-Chi Wang
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Kuang-Tzu Huang
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
- Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Li-Wen Hsu
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
- Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - Hock-Liew Eng
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
- Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan
| | - King-Wah Chiu
- Division of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan;
- Liver Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan; (C.-C.W.); (K.-T.H.); (L.-W.H.); (H.-L.E.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
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9
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Ibrahim IH, Ali OSM, El-Sahar AA, Elrefaei M, El-Sheikh N. Telomerase Expression Related with Poor Immune Response to HCV Core Antigen in Egyptian HCV Patients' PBMCs. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2023; 13:1008-1016. [PMID: 37975051 PMCID: PMC10643511 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Aim This study aimed to assess serum human telomerase enzyme (hTERT) levels and their relation to the progression of liver disease. Also, it aimed to assess the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein on memory T-cells in HCV patients with or without HCC and the correlation between memory cell phenotype and the progression of the disease in the same patients. Methods HTERT level in serum was assessed through relative quantitative RT-PCR. Flow cytometric analysis was used to assess T-cell responsiveness (as IFN- γ secretion) before and after stimulation with HCV core protein and the memory CD8+ cell phenotype using several differentiation markers. Results HTERT was found to be increased in a stepwise manner upon comparing its level in controls, chronic hepatitis patients, cirrhotic patients, and HCC patients. T-cells showed a similar manner of stepwise decrease in response (decreased IFN- γ secretion) in HCC patients compared to HCV patients without HCC and controls. Also, late differentiated memory cells (CD8+, CD27-, CD28-, CD45RA+, and CCR7-) were depleted in HCC patients compared to HCV patients without HCC. Conclusion These results suggest a negative correlation between hTERT and IFN- γ secretion by T-cells in HCV patients and that this relationship, along with the depletion of late differentiated memory cells, could help the progression of liver disease to HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman H. Ibrahim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Egypt
| | - Ola Sayed M. Ali
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Egypt
| | - Adel A. El-Sahar
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Elrefaei
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Nabila El-Sheikh
- Molecular Immunology Unit for Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Egypt
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10
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Bybee G, Moeun Y, Wang W, Kharbanda KK, Poluektova LY, Kidambi S, Osna NA, Ganesan M. Increased liver stiffness promotes hepatitis B progression by impairing innate immunity in CCl4-induced fibrotic HBV + transgenic mice. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1166171. [PMID: 37600826 PMCID: PMC10435739 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1166171] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection develops as an acute or chronic liver disease, which progresses from steatosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis to end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An increased stromal stiffness accompanies fibrosis in chronic liver diseases and is considered a strong predictor for disease progression. The goal of this study was to establish the mechanisms by which enhanced liver stiffness regulates HBV infectivity in the fibrotic liver tissue. Methods For in vitro studies, HBV-transfected HepG2.2.15 cells were cultured on polydimethylsiloxane gels coated by polyelectrolyte multilayer films of 2 kPa (soft) or 24 kPa (stiff) rigidity mimicking the stiffness of the healthy or fibrotic liver. For in vivo studies, hepatic fibrosis was induced in C57Bl/6 parental and HBV+ transgenic (HBVTg) mice by injecting CCl4 twice a week for 6 weeks. Results We found higher levels of HBV markers in stiff gel-attached hepatocytes accompanied by up-regulated OPN content in cell supernatants as well as suppression of anti-viral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). This indicates that pre-requisite "fibrotic" stiffness increases osteopontin (OPN) content and releases and suppresses anti-viral innate immunity, causing a subsequent rise in HBV markers expression in hepatocytes. In vitro results were corroborated by data from HBVTg mice administered CCl4 (HBVTg CCl4). These mice showed higher HBV RNA, DNA, HBV core antigen (HBcAg), and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) levels after liver fibrosis induction as judged by a rise in Col1a1, SMA, MMPs, and TIMPs mRNAs and by increased liver stiffness. Importantly, CCl4-induced the pro-fibrotic activation of liver cells, and liver stiffness was higher in HBVTg mice compared with control mice. Elevation of HBV markers and OPN levels corresponded to decreased ISG activation in HBVTg CCl4 mice vs HBVTg control mice. Conclusion Based on our data, we conclude that liver stiffness enhances OPN levels to limit anti-viral ISG activation in hepatocytes and promote an increase in HBV infectivity, thereby contributing to end-stage liver disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Bybee
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Youra Moeun
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Weimin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Kusum K. Kharbanda
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Larisa Y. Poluektova
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Srivatsan Kidambi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Natalia A. Osna
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Murali Ganesan
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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11
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Gholami A, Mousavi SM, Masoumzadeh R, Binazadeh M, Bagheri Lankarani K, Omidifar N, Arjmand O, Chiang WH, Moghadami M, Pynadathu Rumjit N. Advanced Theranostic Strategies for Viral Hepatitis Using Carbon Nanostructures. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:1185. [PMID: 37374770 DOI: 10.3390/mi14061185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
There are several treatment protocols for acute viral hepatitis, and it is critical to recognize acute hepatitis in its earliest stages. Public health measures to control these infections also rely on rapid and accurate diagnosis. The diagnosis of viral hepatitis remains expensive, and there is no adequate public health infrastructure, while the virus is not well-controlled. New methods for screening and detecting viral hepatitis through nanotechnology are being developed. Nanotechnology significantly reduces the cost of screening. In this review, the potential of three-dimensional-nanostructured carbon substances as promising materials due to fewer side effects, and the contribution of these particles to effective tissue transfer in the treatment and diagnosis of hepatitis due to the importance of rapid diagnosis for successful treatment, were extensively investigated. In recent years, three-dimensional carbon nanomaterials such as graphene oxide and nanotubes with special chemical, electrical, and optical properties have been used for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis due to their high potential. We expect that the future position of nanoparticles in the rapid diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis can be better determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Gholami
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
| | - Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
| | - Reza Masoumzadeh
- Department of Medical, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Binazadeh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz 71557-13876, Iran
| | - Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
- Health Policy Research Center, Health Institute, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
| | - Navid Omidifar
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
- Department of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
| | - Omid Arjmand
- Department of Chemical Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 14687-63785, Iran
| | - Wei-Hung Chiang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
| | - Mohsen Moghadami
- Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71439-14693, Iran
| | - Nelson Pynadathu Rumjit
- Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Centre (NANOCAT), Level 3, Block A, Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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12
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Lopez-Scarim J, Nambiar SM, Billerbeck E. Studying T Cell Responses to Hepatotropic Viruses in the Liver Microenvironment. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:681. [PMID: 36992265 PMCID: PMC10056334 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11030681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells play an important role in the clearance of hepatotropic viruses but may also cause liver injury and contribute to disease progression in chronic hepatitis B and C virus infections which affect millions of people worldwide. The liver provides a unique microenvironment of immunological tolerance and hepatic immune regulation can modulate the functional properties of T cell subsets and influence the outcome of a virus infection. Extensive research over the last years has advanced our understanding of hepatic conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and unconventional T cell subsets and their functions in the liver environment during acute and chronic viral infections. The recent development of new small animal models and technological advances should further increase our knowledge of hepatic immunological mechanisms. Here we provide an overview of the existing models to study hepatic T cells and review the current knowledge about the distinct roles of heterogeneous T cell populations during acute and chronic viral hepatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eva Billerbeck
- Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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13
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Liu S, Yang X. Intestinal flora plays a role in the progression of hepatitis-cirrhosis-liver cancer. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1140126. [PMID: 36968098 PMCID: PMC10034054 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1140126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The liver is a vital metabolism and detoxification organ of human body, which is involved in the biotransformation and metabolism of the organism. Hepatitis - cirrhosis - liver cancer are significant and common part of liver diseases. The pathogenesis of liver diseases is generally as followed: inflammation and other pathogenic factors cause persistent damage to the liver, leading to the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix. Patients with chronic hepatitis have a high risk of developing into liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even life-threatening liver cancer, which poses a great threat to public health.As the first organ to come into contact with blood from the gut, the liver is profoundly affected by the intestinal flora and its metabolites, with leaky gut and flora imbalance being the triggers of the liver's pathological response. So far, no one has reviewed the role of intestinal flora in this process from the perspective of the progression of hepatitis-cirrhosis-liver cancer and this article reviews the evidence supporting the effect of intestinal flora in the progression of liver disease.
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14
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Multifaceted Defects in Monocytes in Different Phases of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Lack of Restoration after Antiviral Therapy. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0193922. [PMID: 36445121 PMCID: PMC9769680 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01939-22] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Monocytes play an important role in the control of microbial infection, but monocyte biology during chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (CHI) remains inadequately studied. We investigated the frequency, phenotype, and functions of monocyte subsets in different phases of CHI, namely, immune tolerance (IT), hepatitis B early antigen (HBeAg)-positive/HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (EP-/EN-CHB, respectively), and inactive carrier (IC), identified factors responsible for their functional alterations, and determined the impact of antiviral therapy on these cells. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that HLA-DR+ CD14++ CD16- classical monocytes were significantly reduced while HLA-DR+ CD14++ CD16+ intermediate and HLA-DR+ CD14+ CD16++ nonclassical monocytes were expanded in IT and EP-/EN-CHB compared with those in IC and healthy controls (HC). In comparison to IC/HC, monocytes in IT and CHB exhibited diminished expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2)/TLR-4/TLR-9 and cytokines interleukin-12 (IL-12)/tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)/IL-6 but produced higher levels of IL-10/transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). Further, monocytes in CHB/IT showed impaired phagocytosis and oxidative response relative to those in IC/HC. In vitro assays indicated that high titers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) present in IT/CHB and of IL-4 in CHB triggered the functional defects in monocytes via induction of β-catenin. Additionally, monocyte-derived M1 macrophages of CHB/IT produced fewer proinflammatory and more anti-inflammatory cytokines than those of IC/HC, while in CHB/IT, the monocytes skewed the differentiation of CD4+ T cells more toward regulatory T cells and a Th2 phenotype. Moreover, monocytes in CHB and IT overexpressed chemokine receptor CCR2, which coincided with increased intrahepatic accumulation of β-catenin+ CD14+ cells. One year of tenofovir therapy failed to normalize monocyte functions or reduce serum HBsAg/IL-4 levels. Taken together, monocytes are functionally perturbed mostly in IT and EP-/EN-CHB phases. Targeting intramonocytic β-catenin or reducing HBsAg/IL-4 levels might restore monocyte function and facilitate viral clearance. IMPORTANCE Chronic HBV infection (CHI) is a major cause of end-stage liver disease for which pharmacological treatments currently available are inadequate. Chronically HBV-infected patients fail to mount an efficient immune response to the virus, impeding viral clearance and recovery from hepatitis. Monocytes represent a central part of innate immunity, but a comprehensive understanding on monocyte involvement in CHI is still lacking. We here report a multitude of defects in monocytes in chronically HBV-infected patients that include alteration in subset distribution, Toll-like receptor expression, cytokine production, phagocytic activity, oxidative response, migratory ability, polarization of monocyte-derived macrophages, and monocyte-T-cell interaction. We demonstrated that high levels of hepatitis B virus surface antigen and IL-4 potentiate these defects in monocytes via β-catenin induction while therapy with the nucleotide analog tenofovir fails to restore monocyte function. Our findings add to the continuing effort to devise new immunotherapeutic strategies that could reverse the immune defects in CHI.
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15
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Wang L, Qiu M, Wu L, Li Z, Meng X, He L, Yang B. Construction and validation of prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma basing on hepatitis B virus related specific genes. Infect Agent Cancer 2022; 17:60. [PMID: 36474267 PMCID: PMC9727957 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-022-00470-y] [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: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent primary liver cancer, and it is one of the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a crucial risk factor for HCC. Thus, this study aimed to explore the prognostic role of HBV-positive HCC related specific genes in HCC. METHODS The HCC related data were downloaded from three databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Univariate Cox regression analysis and LASSO Cox regression analysis were conducted to build the Risk score. Multivariate Cox regression analysis and survival analysis determined the independent prognostic indicators. RESULTS After cross analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we have identified 106 overlapped DEGs, which were probably HBV-positive HCC related specific genes. These 106 DEGs were significantly enriched in 213 GO terms and 8 KEGG pathways. Among that, 11 optimal genes were selected to build a Risk score, and Risk score was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. High risk HCC patients had worse OS. Moreover, five kinds of immune cells were differentially infiltrated between high and low risk HCC patients. CONCLUSION The prognostic signature, based on HMMR, MCM6, TPX2, KIF20A, CCL20, RGS2, NUSAP1, FABP5, FZD6, PBK, and STK39, is conducive to distinguish different prognosis of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Tianjin Second People’s Hospital, Tianjin, 300192 China ,Tianjin Institute of Hepatology, Tianjin, 300192 China
| | - Manman Qiu
- grid.216938.70000 0000 9878 7032College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China
| | - Lili Wu
- grid.440828.2Logistics University of People’s Armed Police Force, Tianjin, 300000 China
| | - Zexing Li
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China
| | - Xinyi Meng
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228Department of Cell Biolopgy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070 China
| | - Lu He
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070 China
| | - Bing Yang
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228Department of Cell Biolopgy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070 China
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16
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Han HT, Jin WL, Li X. Mesenchymal stem cells-based therapy in liver diseases. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:23. [PMID: 35895169 PMCID: PMC9326420 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00088-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple immune cells and their products in the liver together form a complex and unique immune microenvironment, and preclinical models have demonstrated the importance of imbalances in the hepatic immune microenvironment in liver inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases. Various immunotherapies have been attempted to modulate the hepatic immune microenvironment for the purpose of treating liver diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a comprehensive and plastic immunomodulatory capacity. On the one hand, they have been tried for the treatment of inflammatory liver diseases because of their excellent immunosuppressive capacity; On the other hand, MSCs have immune-enhancing properties in immunocompromised settings and can be modified into cellular carriers for targeted transport of immune enhancers by genetic modification, physical and chemical loading, and thus they are also used in the treatment of immunocompromised liver diseases such as chronic viral infections and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we discuss the immunological basis and recent strategies of MSCs for the treatment of the aforementioned liver diseases. Specifically, we update the immune microenvironment of the liver and summarize the distinct mechanisms of immune microenvironment imbalance in inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases, and how MSCs can fully exploit their immunotherapeutic role in liver diseases with both immune imbalance patterns.
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17
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Kramvis A, Chang KM, Dandri M, Farci P, Glebe D, Hu J, Janssen HLA, Lau DTY, Penicaud C, Pollicino T, Testoni B, Van Bömmel F, Andrisani O, Beumont-Mauviel M, Block TM, Chan HLY, Cloherty GA, Delaney WE, Geretti AM, Gehring A, Jackson K, Lenz O, Maini MK, Miller V, Protzer U, Yang JC, Yuen MF, Zoulim F, Revill PA. A roadmap for serum biomarkers for hepatitis B virus: current status and future outlook. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 19:727-745. [PMID: 35859026 PMCID: PMC9298709 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-022-00649-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Globally, 296 million people are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and approximately one million people die annually from HBV-related causes, including liver cancer. Although there is a preventative vaccine and antiviral therapies suppressing HBV replication, there is no cure. Intensive efforts are under way to develop curative HBV therapies. Currently, only a few biomarkers are available for monitoring or predicting HBV disease progression and treatment response. As new therapies become available, new biomarkers to monitor viral and host responses are urgently needed. In October 2020, the International Coalition to Eliminate Hepatitis B Virus (ICE-HBV) held a virtual and interactive workshop on HBV biomarkers endorsed by the International HBV Meeting. Various stakeholders from academia, clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry, with complementary expertise, presented and participated in panel discussions. The clinical utility of both classic and emerging viral and immunological serum biomarkers with respect to the course of infection, disease progression, and response to current and emerging treatments was appraised. The latest advances were discussed, and knowledge gaps in understanding and interpretation of HBV biomarkers were identified. This Roadmap summarizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of HBV biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kramvis
- Hepatitis Virus Diversity Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Kyong-Mi Chang
- The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maura Dandri
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems partner site, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Patrizia Farci
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dieter Glebe
- National Reference Center for Hepatitis B Viruses and Hepatitis D Viruses, Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jianming Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Harry L A Janssen
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Daryl T Y Lau
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Capucine Penicaud
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Teresa Pollicino
- Laboratory of Molecular Hepatology, Department of Human Pathology, University Hospital "G. Martino" of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Barbara Testoni
- INSERM U1052, CNRS UMR-5286, Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL), Lyon, France
- University of Lyon, Université Claude-Bernard (UCBL), Lyon, France
| | - Florian Van Bömmel
- Department of Hepatology, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ourania Andrisani
- Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | | | | | - Henry L Y Chan
- Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
- Union Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | | | | | - Anna Maria Geretti
- Roche Pharma Research & Early Development, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Fondazione PTV, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Adam Gehring
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kathy Jackson
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Mala K Maini
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Institute of Immunity & Transplantation, University College London, London, UK
| | - Veronica Miller
- Forum for Collaborative Research, University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, Washington DC Campus, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ulrike Protzer
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Man-Fung Yuen
- Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fabien Zoulim
- INSERM Unit 1052 - Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon University, Lyon, France
| | - Peter A Revill
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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Yin GQ, Chen KP, Gu XC. Heterogeneity of immune control in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: Clinical implications on immunity with interferon-α treatment and retreatment. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28:5784-5800. [PMID: 36353205 PMCID: PMC9639659 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i40.5784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health issue. Interferon-α (IFN-α) treatment has been used to treat hepatitis B for over 20 years, but fewer than 5% of Asians receiving IFN-α treatment achieve functional cure. Thus, IFN-α retreatment has been introduced to enhance antiviral function. In recent years, immune-related studies have found that the complex interactions between immune cells and cytokines could modulate immune response networks, in-cluding both innate and adaptive immunity, triggering immune responses that control HBV replication. However, heterogeneity of the immune system to control HBV infection, particularly HBV-specific CD8+ T cell heterogeneity, has consequ-ential effects on T cell-based immunotherapy for treating HBV infection. Altogether, the host’s genetic variants, negative-feedback regulators and HBV components affecting the immune system's ability to control HBV. In this study, we reviewed the literature on potential immune mechanisms affecting the immune control of HBV and the clinical effects of IFN-α treatment and retreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qing Yin
- Center of Hepatology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ke-Ping Chen
- Center of Hepatology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiao-Chun Gu
- Center of Hepatology, Zhong-Da Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China
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19
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Yang G, Wan P, Zhang Y, Tan Q, Qudus MS, Yue Z, Luo W, Zhang W, Ouyang J, Li Y, Wu J. Innate Immunity, Inflammation, and Intervention in HBV Infection. Viruses 2022; 14:2275. [PMID: 36298831 PMCID: PMC9609328 DOI: 10.3390/v14102275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still one of the most dangerous viral illnesses. HBV infects around 257 million individuals worldwide. Hepatitis B in many individuals ultimately develops hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The innate immunity acts as the first line of defense against HBV infection through activating antiviral genes. Along with the immune responses, pro-inflammatory cytokines are triggered to enhance the antiviral responses, but this may result in acute or chronic liver inflammation, especially when the clearance of virus is unsuccessful. To a degree, the host innate immune and inflammatory responses dominate the HBV infection and liver pathogenesis. Thus, it is crucial to figure out the signaling pathways involved in the activation of antiviral factors and inflammatory cytokines. Here, we review the interplay between HBV and the signal pathways that mediates innate immune responses and inflammation. In addition, we summarize current therapeutic strategies for HBV infection via modulating innate immunity or inflammation. Characterizing the mechanisms that underlie these HBV-host interplays might provide new approaches for the cure of chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Yang
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Pin Wan
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Yaru Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Qiaoru Tan
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Muhammad Suhaib Qudus
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Zhaoyang Yue
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Wei Luo
- Clinical Research Institute, The First People’s Hospital, Foshan 528000, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Guangdong Longfan Biological Science and Technology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Jianhua Ouyang
- Guangdong Longfan Biological Science and Technology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Yongkui Li
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- Guangdong Longfan Biological Science and Technology, Foshan 528315, China
| | - Jianguo Wu
- Foshan Institute of Medical Microbiology, Foshan 528315, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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20
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Ding W, Zhang Z, Ye N, Zhuang L, Yuan Z, Xue W, Tan Y, Xu X. Identification of Key Genes in the HBV-Related HCC Immune Microenvironment Using Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:2797033. [PMID: 36281288 PMCID: PMC9587913 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2797033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Purpose Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has poor prognosis and high mortality among gastrointestinal tumors because of its insidious onset and strong invasiveness. However, there was little understanding of their pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to use bioinformatics analysis to identify genes associated with the immune microenvironment in HBV-related HCC and to develop new therapeutic targets to prevent and treat cancer. Methods RNA-seq data of HBV-related HCC cases were downloaded from TCGA-LIHC database. ESTIMATE and Deseq2 algorithms were used to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs). WGCNA was used to construct gene coexpression networks. In key modules, functional enrichment analysis was performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) was used to screen hub genes, and survival analysis was conducted to assess their prognostic significance. Following, we search for key genes differentially expressed between cancerous and paracancerous tissues in GSE136247 and GSE121248 datasets. Reveal the potential links between key genes in immune infiltration by using TIMER. Finally, in TCGA-LIHC database, integration of key genes with clinical data were used to further validate their correlation with prognosis. Results In the cohort of HBV-related HCC patients, immune/stromal/ESTIMATE scores were not significantly associated with patient prognosis. After bioinformatics analysis, screening out five key genes was significantly related to the prognosis of HBV-related HCC. Downregulation of SLAMF1 and TRAF3IP3 suggested poor prognosis and was related to a variety of immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, compared with adjacent nontumor tissues, TRAF3IP3 and SLAMF1 were highly expressed in tumor tissues and were linked to tumor recurrences. Conclusion In conclusion, SLAMF1 and TRAF3IP3 were identified with higher expression in tumor tissues and associated with tumor recurrence. It will be a new research direction of tumor progress and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Ding
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnostics and Precision Cancer Medicine, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Zheng Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Nianyuan Ye
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Ling Zhuang
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Zhiping Yuan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Wujin Hospital Affiliated with Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Wenbo Xue
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Yulin Tan
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
| | - Xuezhong Xu
- Department of General Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Changzhou 213017, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Changzhou 213017, China
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21
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Nishio A, Hasan S, Park H, Park N, Salas JH, Salinas E, Kardava L, Juneau P, Frumento N, Massaccesi G, Moir S, Bailey JR, Grakoui A, Ghany MG, Rehermann B. Serum neutralization activity declines but memory B cells persist after cure of chronic hepatitis C. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5446. [PMID: 36114169 PMCID: PMC9481596 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33035-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections underscores the need for an effective vaccine. Successful vaccines to other viruses generally depend on a long-lasting humoral response. However, data on the half-life of HCV-specific responses are lacking. Here we study archived sera and mononuclear cells that were prospectively collected up to 18 years after cure of chronic HCV infection to determine the role of HCV antigen in maintaining neutralizing antibody and B cell responses. We show that HCV-neutralizing activity decreases rapidly in potency and breadth after curative treatment. In contrast, HCV-specific memory B cells persist, and display a restored resting phenotype, normalized chemokine receptor expression and preserved ability to differentiate into antibody-secreting cells. The short half-life of HCV-neutralizing activity is consistent with a lack of long-lived plasma cells. The persistence of HCV-specific memory B cells and the reduced inflammation after cure provide an opportunity for vaccination to induce protective immunity against re-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Nishio
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Sharika Hasan
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Heiyoung Park
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Nana Park
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jordan H Salas
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Eduardo Salinas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory Vaccine Center, Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Lela Kardava
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Paul Juneau
- Division of Data Services, NIH Library, Office of Research Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Contractor- Zimmerman Associates, Inc, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Nicole Frumento
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Guido Massaccesi
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Susan Moir
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Justin R Bailey
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Arash Grakoui
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory Vaccine Center, Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Marc G Ghany
- Clinical Research Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Barbara Rehermann
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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22
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Tao L, Ren X, Zhai W, Chen Z. Progress and Prospects of Non-Canonical NF-κB Signaling Pathway in the Regulation of Liver Diseases. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134275. [PMID: 35807520 PMCID: PMC9268066 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-canonical nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway regulates many physiological and pathological processes, including liver homeostasis and diseases. Recent studies demonstrate that non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway plays an essential role in hyperglycemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, liver regeneration, liver injury, autoimmune liver disease, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting to non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway have been developed and shown promising results in the treatment of liver injuries. Here, the recent advances and future prospects in understanding the roles of the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathways in the regulation of liver diseases are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Tao
- Emergency Department, 305 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, Beijing 100017, China; (L.T.); (W.Z.)
| | - Xiaomeng Ren
- College of Pharmaceutical and Biology Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
- Correspondence: (X.R.); (Z.C.); Tel.: +86-45186402029 (Z.C.)
| | - Wenhui Zhai
- Emergency Department, 305 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, Beijing 100017, China; (L.T.); (W.Z.)
| | - Zheng Chen
- HIT Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
- Correspondence: (X.R.); (Z.C.); Tel.: +86-45186402029 (Z.C.)
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23
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Madsen LW, Christensen PB, Øvrehus A, Bryde DMS, Holm DK, Lillevang ST, Nielsen C. Immunological Characteristics of Patients Receiving Ultra-Short Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:885824. [PMID: 35832377 PMCID: PMC9271618 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.885824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reducing the treatment duration for chronic hepatitis C could be an important tool in the effort to reach the elimination goals set by the World Health Organization. The current challenge is to predict the target group who will achieve sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR12) with shorter treatment duration. The aim of this exploratory study was to characterize immune subsets with focus on inhibitory receptors in patients who experienced SVR12 or virological relapse following four weeks treatment with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir with or without ribavirin. A total of 32 patients were included in this study of whom 21 achieved SVR12 and 11 had virological relapse. All available samples at baseline (n = 31) and end of treatment (EOT) (n = 30) were processed for flow cytometric analysis in order to measure the expression of PD-1, 2B4, BY55, CTLA-4, TIM-3 and LAG-3 on 12 distinct T cell subsets. At baseline, patients with SVR12 (n=21) had numerically lower frequencies of inhibitory receptors for 83% (60/72) of the investigated T-cell subtypes. The most significant difference observed between the two groups was a lower frequency of stem cell-like memory T-cells CD4+PD1+ in the SVR group (p = 0.007). Furthermore, we observed a significant positive correlation between baseline viral load and the expression of PD-1 on the total CD8+ T-cells and effector memory T-cells CD4+ and CD8+ for patients with virological relapse. This study suggests a measurable immunologic phenotype at baseline of patients achieving SVR12 after short treatment compared to patients with virological relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lone Wulff Madsen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Lone Wulff Madsen,
| | - 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
| | | | - Dorte Kinggaard Holm
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Søren Thue Lillevang
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Christian Nielsen
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
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24
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Magri A, Harris JM, D'Arienzo V, Minisini R, Jühling F, Wing PAC, Rapetti R, Leutner M, Testoni B, Baumert TF, Zoulim F, Balfe P, Pirisi M, McKeating JA. Inflammatory Gene Expression Associates with Hepatitis B Virus cccDNA- but Not Integrant-Derived Transcripts in HBeAg Negative Disease. Viruses 2022; 14:1070. [PMID: 35632812 PMCID: PMC9146050 DOI: 10.3390/v14051070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem that presents as a spectrum of liver disease, reflecting an interplay between the virus and the host immune system. HBV genomes exist as episomal covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) or chromosomal integrants. The relative contribution of these genomes to the viral transcriptome in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is not well-understood. We developed a qPCR method to estimate the abundance of HBV cccDNA- and integrant-derived viral transcripts and applied this to a cohort of patients diagnosed with CHB in the HBe antigen negative phase of disease. We noted a variable pattern of HBV transcripts from both DNA templates, with preS1/S2 mRNAs predominating and a significant association between increasing age and the expression of integrant-derived mRNAs, but not with inflammatory status. In contrast, cccDNA-derived transcripts were associated with markers of liver inflammation. Analysis of the inflammatory hepatic transcriptome identified 24 genes significantly associated with cccDNA transcriptional activity. Our study uncovers an immune gene signature that associates with HBV cccDNA transcription and increases our understanding of viral persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Magri
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - James M Harris
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | | | - Rosalba Minisini
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Frank Jühling
- Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, University of Strasbourg and Inserm, UMR_S1110, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Peter A C Wing
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4BH, UK
| | - Rachele Rapetti
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Monica Leutner
- Department of Diagnostic Services and Supportive Therapies, ASL Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, 28887 Omegna, Italy
| | - Barbara Testoni
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, UMR INSERM 1052, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Thomas F Baumert
- Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, University of Strasbourg and Inserm, UMR_S1110, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Pôle Hépato-Digestif, Institut Hopitalo-Universitaire, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Fabien Zoulim
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon, UMR INSERM 1052, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Peter Balfe
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Mario Pirisi
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Jane A McKeating
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4BH, UK
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25
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Boettler T, Gill US, Allweiss L, Pollicino T, Tavis JE, Zoulim F. Assessing immunological and virological responses in the liver: implications for the cure of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. JHEP REPORTS : INNOVATION IN HEPATOLOGY 2022; 4:100480. [PMID: 35493765 PMCID: PMC9039841 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2022.100480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cure from chronic HBV infection is rare with current therapies. Basic research has helped to fundamentally improve our knowledge of the viral life cycle and virus-host interactions, and provided the basis for several novel drug classes that are currently being developed or are being tested in clinical trials. While these novel compounds targeting the viral life cycle or antiviral immune responses hold great promise, we are still lacking a comprehensive understanding of the immunological and virological processes that occur at the site of infection, the liver. At the International Liver Congress 2021 (ILC 2021), a research think tank on chronic HBV infection focused on mechanisms within the liver that facilitate persistent infection and looked at the research questions that need to be addressed to fill knowledge gaps and identify novel therapeutic strategies. Herein, we summarise the discussion by the think tank and identify the key basic research questions that must be addressed in order to develop more effective strategies for the functional cure of HBV infection.
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26
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Wang Y, Mei Y, Ao Z, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Chen X, Qi R, Fu B, Tang J, Fang M, You M, Zhang T, Yuan Q, Luo W, Xia N. A broad-spectrum nanobody targeting the C-terminus of the hepatitis B surface antigen for chronic hepatitis B infection therapy. Antiviral Res 2022; 199:105265. [PMID: 35183645 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable viral suppression with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is the new treatment goal for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The role of antibodies in therapies for persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has received constant attention. While immunotherapy holds great promise, challenges for the antibody-based prevention and control of HBV in CHB include broad HBV antigenic diversity and the need for long-term viral suppression. In this study, we identified a new anti-HBsAg nanobody (Nb), 125s, isolated from HBsAg-immunized alpaca and confirmed its excellent potency in HBsAg clearance and broad-spectrum therapeutic activity against three HBV subtypes in vivo. In addition, we characterized a novel epitope at the C-terminus of the HBsAg surface motif from amino acids 157 to 174. A 125s-based long-term passive immunization program was efficacious at HBsAg clearance and inducing cellular immune responses, offering a promising outlook for CHB immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Yaxian Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Zhenghong Ao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Yuanzhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Yichao Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Xiaoqing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Ruoyao Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Baorong Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Jixian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Mujin Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Min You
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Tianying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
| | - Quan Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China.
| | - Wenxin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China.
| | - Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361105, China
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27
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You H, Qin S, Zhang F, Hu W, Li X, Liu D, Kong F, Pan X, Zheng K, Tang R. Regulation of Pattern-Recognition Receptor Signaling by HBX During Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:829923. [PMID: 35251017 PMCID: PMC8891514 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.829923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As a small DNA virus, hepatitis B virus (HBV) plays a pivotal role in the development of various liver diseases, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Among the molecules encoded by this virus, the HBV X protein (HBX) is a viral transactivator that plays a vital role in HBV replication and virus-associated diseases. Accumulating evidence so far indicates that pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are at the front-line of the host defense responses to restrict the virus by inducing the expression of interferons and various inflammatory factors. However, depending on HBX, the virus can control PRR signaling by modulating the expression and activity of essential molecules involved in the toll-like receptor (TLR), retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptor (RLR), and NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling pathways, to not only facilitate HBV replication, but also promote the development of viral diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms that are linked to the regulation of PRR signaling mediated by HBX to inhibit innate immunity, regulation of viral propagation, virus-induced inflammation, and hepatocarcinogenesis. Given the importance of PRRs in the control of HBV replication, we propose that a comprehensive understanding of the modulation of cellular factors involved in PRR signaling induced by the viral protein may open new avenues for the treatment of HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjuan You
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Suping Qin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Fulong Zhang
- Imaging Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Taian, China
| | - Wei Hu
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group Suqian Hospital, The Affiliate Suqian Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Suqian, China
| | - Xiaocui Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Dongsheng Liu
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group Suqian Hospital, The Affiliate Suqian Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Suqian, China
| | - Fanyun Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xiucheng Pan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Kuiyang Zheng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Basic Medical Sciences Education, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Renxian Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Basic Medical Sciences Education, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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28
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Aichele P, Neumann-Haefelin C, Ehl S, Thimme R, Cathomen T, Boerries M, Hofmann M. Immunopathology caused by impaired CD8+ T cell responses. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:1390-1395. [PMID: 35099807 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings indicate that many immunopathologies are at their roots a consequence of impaired immune responses ("too little" immunity) and not the result of primarily exaggerated immune responses ("too much" immunity). We have summarized this conceptional view as "IMPATH paradox". In this review, we will focus on impaired immune reactions in the context of CD8+ T cell-mediated immunopathologies. In particular, we will exemplify this concept in two disease models: Virus-triggered primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, an inflammatory syndrome caused by genetically impaired cytolytic functions of T cells, and viral hepatitis, where T cell exhaustion is a major underlying mechanism for impaired effector functions. In both situations, T cells fail to eliminate the source of immune stimulation, which usually serves as an important negative feedback loop curtailing immune reactions. Persistent antigen presentation by antigen-presenting and/or infected cells results in continuous stimulation causing chronic inflammation and immunopathology mediated by residual T cell functions. Hence, immune stimulation or reconstitution rather than immune suppression may be strategies for therapeutic interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Aichele
- Institute for Immunodeficiency, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Neumann-Haefelin
- Department of Medicine II (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Ehl
- Institute for Immunodeficiency, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Robert Thimme
- Department of Medicine II (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Toni Cathomen
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Boerries
- Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maike Hofmann
- Department of Medicine II (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases), Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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29
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Adaptive Immune Responses, Immune Escape and Immune-Mediated Pathogenesis during HDV Infection. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020198. [PMID: 35215790 PMCID: PMC8880046 DOI: 10.3390/v14020198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is the smallest known human virus, yet it causes great harm to patients co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). As a satellite virus of HBV, HDV requires the surface antigen of HBV (HBsAg) for sufficient viral packaging and spread. The special circumstance of co-infection, albeit only one partner depends on the other, raises many virological, immunological, and pathophysiological questions. In the last years, breakthroughs were made in understanding the adaptive immune response, in particular, virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, in self-limited versus persistent HBV/HDV co-infection. Indeed, the mechanisms of CD8+ T cell failure in persistent HBV/HDV co-infection include viral escape and T cell exhaustion, and mimic those in other persistent human viral infections, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and HBV mono-infection. However, compared to these larger viruses, the small HDV has perfectly adapted to evade recognition by CD8+ T cells restricted by common human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles. Furthermore, accelerated progression towards liver cirrhosis in persistent HBV/HDV co-infection was attributed to an increased immune-mediated pathology, either caused by innate pathways initiated by the interferon (IFN) system or triggered by misguided and dysfunctional T cells. These new insights into HDV-specific adaptive immunity will be discussed in this review and put into context with known well-described aspects in HBV, HCV, and HIV infections.
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30
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Glitscher M, Hildt E, Bender D. [Hepatitis B and C: mechanisms of virus-induced liver pathogenesis and tumorigenesis]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2022; 65:228-237. [PMID: 35015106 PMCID: PMC8813796 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-021-03482-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Worldwide, the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses (HBV, HCV) are the most relevant causative viral agents of a chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). At present, more than 250 million people suffer from a chronic HBV infection globally, resulting in 0.8 million deaths per year. A chronic HCV infection accounts for about 70 million cases worldwide, leading to a death toll of about 1 million per year. An approved vaccine is only available against an HBV infection. Both HBV and HCV infections result in a highly increased risk of developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).This review aims to describe mechanisms of the HBV- and HCV-associated pathogenesis. The focus is on the interplay between a chronic infection with intracellular signaling transduction, metabolic pathways with an emphasis on lipid metabolism, the establishment of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis during a chronic infection, and the mechanisms of the onset of a virally induced HCC.Despite there being great advances in the characterization of viral life cycles and the development of robust antiviral strategies, significant hurdles persist: gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive virus-associated pathogenesis as well as increasing insights regarding different viral genotypes having impacts on alternate pathogeneses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Glitscher
- Abteilung 2/01, Virologie, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut - Bundesinstitut für Impfstoffe und biomedizinische Arzneimittel, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 51-59, 63226, Langen, Deutschland
| | - Eberhard Hildt
- Abteilung 2/01, Virologie, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut - Bundesinstitut für Impfstoffe und biomedizinische Arzneimittel, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 51-59, 63226, Langen, Deutschland.
| | - Daniela Bender
- Abteilung 2/01, Virologie, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut - Bundesinstitut für Impfstoffe und biomedizinische Arzneimittel, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 51-59, 63226, Langen, Deutschland
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31
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Zhou F, Xiong H, Zhen S, Chen A, Huang M, Luo Y. Serum levels of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 are indicators of viral load in patients chronically infected with HBV. Braz J Med Biol Res 2022; 55:e12320. [DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x2022e12320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fangye Zhou
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Haoran Xiong
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Shenghang Zhen
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Aimin Chen
- Fujian Medical University Teaching Hospital, The First Hospital of Putian, China
| | - Min Huang
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Yupeng Luo
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
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32
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González Grande R, Santaella Leiva I, López Ortega S, Jiménez Pérez M. Present and future management of viral hepatitis. World J Gastroenterol 2021; 27:8081-8102. [PMID: 35068856 PMCID: PMC8704279 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i47.8081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral hepatitis can result in important morbidity and mortality, with its impact on health conditioned by the specific type of hepatitis, the geographical region of presentation and the development and access to new drugs, among other factors. Most acute presentation forms are self-limiting and may even go unnoticed, with just a small percentage of cases leading to acute liver failure that may necessitate transplantation or even cause the death of the patient. However, when they become chronic, as in the case of hepatitis B virus and C virus, unless they are diagnosed and treated adequately they may have severe consequences, like cirrhosis or hepatocarcinoma. Understanding of the mechanisms of transmission, the pathogenesis, the presence of vaccinations and the development over recent years of new highly-efficient, potent drugs have meant that we are now faced with a new scenario in the management of viral hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. The spectacular advances in hepatitis C virus treatment have led the World Health Organization to propose the objective of its eradication by 2030. The key aspect to achieving this goal is to ensure that these treatments reach all the more vulnerable population groups, in whom the different types of viral hepatitis have a high prevalence and constitute a niche that may perpetuate infection and hinder its eradication. Accordingly, micro-elimination programs assume special relevance at the present time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío González Grande
- UGC de Aparato Digestivo. Unidad de Hepatología-Trasplante Hepático, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Santaella Leiva
- UGC de Aparato Digestivo. Unidad de Hepatología-Trasplante Hepático, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Susana López Ortega
- UGC de Aparato Digestivo. Unidad de Hepatología-Trasplante Hepático, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Miguel Jiménez Pérez
- UGC de Aparato Digestivo. Unidad de Hepatología-Trasplante Hepático, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga 29010, Spain
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33
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Zhang M, Zhang Z, Imamura M, Osawa M, Teraoka Y, Piotrowski J, Ishida Y, Sozzi V, Revill PA, Saito T, Chayama K, Liang TJ. Infection courses, virological features and IFN-α responses of HBV genotypes in cell culture and animal models. J Hepatol 2021; 75:1335-1345. [PMID: 34363922 PMCID: PMC8604785 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS HBV consists of 9 major genotypes (A to I), 1 minor strain (designated J) and multiple subtypes, which may be associated with different clinical characteristics. As only cell lines expressing genotype D3 have been established, herein, we aimed to establish stable cell lines producing high-titer cell culture-generated HBV (HBVcc) of different genotypes and to explore their infectivity, virological features and responses to treatment. METHODS Stable cell lines producing high titers of HBV genotype A2, B2, C1, E, F1b and H were generated by transfecting plasmids containing a replication-competent 1.3x length HBV genome and an antibiotic marker into HepG2 cells that can support HBV replication. Clones with the highest levels of HBV DNA and/or HBeAg were selected and expanded for large-scale purification of HBVcc. HBVcc of different genotypes were tested in cells and a humanized chimeric mouse model. RESULTS HBVcc genotypes were infectious in mouse-passaged primary human hepatocytes (PXB cells) and responded differently to human interferon (IFN)-α with variable kinetics of reduction in HBV DNA, HBeAg and HBsAg. HBVcc of all genotypes were infectious in humanized chimeric mice but with variable kinetics of viremia and viral antigen production. Treatment of infected mice with human IFN-α resulted in modest and variable reductions of viremia and viral antigenemia. HBVcc passaged in humanized chimeric mice (HBVmp) infected PXB cells much more efficiently than that of the original HBVcc viral stock. CONCLUSIONS Herein, we generated stable cell lines producing HBV of various genotypes that are infectious in vitro and in vivo. We observe genotype-associated variations in viral antigen production, infection kinetics and responses to human IFN-α treatment in these models. LAY SUMMARY Stable cell lines producing high-titer cell culture-generated hepatitis B virus (HBV) of various genotypes were established. HBV genotypes showed stable infectivity in both in vitro and in vivo models, which are valuable tools for antiviral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Liver Diseases Branch, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Michio Imamura
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Mitsutaka Osawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuji Teraoka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | | | - Yuji Ishida
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA; PhoenixBio Co., Ltd., Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Vitina Sozzi
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter A Revill
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Takeshi Saito
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kazuaki Chayama
- Collaborative Research Laboratory of Medical Innovation, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - T Jake Liang
- Liver Diseases Branch, NIDDK, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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34
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Wang D, Fu B, Shen X, Guo C, Liu Y, Zhang J, Sun R, Ye Y, Li J, Tian Z, Wei H. Restoration of HBV-specific CD8 + T-cell responses by sequential low-dose IL-2 treatment in non-responder patients after IFN-α therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:376. [PMID: 34737296 PMCID: PMC8569154 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) undergoing interferon (IFN)-α-based therapies often exhibit a poor HBeAg serological response. Thus, there is an unmet need for new therapies aimed at CHB. This study comprised two clinical trials, including 130 CHB patients, who were treatment-naïve; in the first, 92 patients were systematically analyzed ex vivo for interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression and inhibitory molecules expression after receiving Peg-IFN-α-2b therapy. In our second clinical trial, 38 non-responder patients, in whom IFN-α therapy had failed, were treated with or without low-dose IL-2 for 24 weeks. We then examined the hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8+ T-cell response and the clinical outcome, in these patients. Although the majority of the participants undergoing Peg-IFN-α-2b therapy were non-responders, we observed a decrease in CD25 expression on their CD4+ T cells, suggesting that IFN-α therapy may provide a rationale for sequential IL-2 treatment without increasing regulatory T cells (Tregs). Following sequential therapy with IL-2, we demonstrated that the non-responders experienced a decrease in the numbers of Tregs and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expression. In addition, sequential IL-2 administration rescued effective immune function, involving signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) activation. Importantly, IL-2 therapy significantly increased the frequency and function of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells, which translated into improved clinical outcomes, including HBeAg seroconversion, among the non-responder CHB patients. Our findings suggest that sequential IL-2 therapy shows efficacy in rescuing immune function in non-responder patients with refractory CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyao Wang
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Binqing Fu
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Xiaokun Shen
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Chuang Guo
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Yanyan Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Junfei Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Rui Sun
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Ying Ye
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Jiabin Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
| | - Zhigang Tian
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
| | - Haiming Wei
- Institute of Immunology and the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medicine and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
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35
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Sandmann L, Cornberg M. Towards eradication of HBV: Treatment approaches and status of clinical trials. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2021; 60:232-240. [PMID: 34474210 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its sequelae remain a global health challenge. Current treatments are effective in controlling HBV replication, but complete eradication or 'cure' of HBV remains a rare event and is difficult to assess because of the intrahepatic reservoir of covalently closed circular DNA. Based on the understanding of the HBV life cycle and the deciphering of immune responses to HBV, therapeutic strategies to target HBV eradication are in principle possible. This article reviews current developments in new therapies aimed at HBV cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Sandmann
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School Hannover, Germany
| | - Markus Cornberg
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School Hannover, Germany; Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), a Joint Venture of Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany.
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36
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Urban S, Neumann-Haefelin C, Lampertico P. Hepatitis D virus in 2021: virology, immunology and new treatment approaches for a difficult-to-treat disease. Gut 2021; 70:1782-1794. [PMID: 34103404 PMCID: PMC8355886 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-323888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Approximately 5% of individuals infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are coinfected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). Chronic HBV/HDV coinfection is associated with an unfavourable outcome, with many patients developing liver cirrhosis, liver failure and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma within 5-10 years. The identification of the HBV/HDV receptor and the development of novel in vitro and animal infection models allowed a more detailed study of the HDV life cycle in recent years, facilitating the development of specific antiviral drugs. The characterisation of HDV-specific CD4+ and CD8+T cell epitopes in untreated and treated patients also permitted a more precise understanding of HDV immunobiology and possibly paves the way for immunotherapeutic strategies to support upcoming specific therapies targeting viral or host factors. Pegylated interferon-α has been used for treating HDV patients for the last 30 years with only limited sustained responses. Here we describe novel treatment options with regard to their mode of action and their clinical effectiveness. Of those, the entry-inhibitor bulevirtide (formerly known as myrcludex B) received conditional marketing authorisation in the European Union (EU) in 2020 (Hepcludex). One additional drug, the prenylation inhibitor lonafarnib, is currently under investigation in phase III clinical trials. Other treatment strategies aim at targeting hepatitis B surface antigen, including the nucleic acid polymer REP2139Ca. These recent advances in HDV virology, immunology and treatment are important steps to make HDV a less difficult-to-treat virus and will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Urban
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) - Heidelberg Partner Site, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Neumann-Haefelin
- Department of Medicine II, Freiburg University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pietro Lampertico
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy,CRC “A. M. and A. Migliavacca” Center for Liver Disease, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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37
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Ligat G, Verrier ER, Nassal M, Baumert TF. Hepatitis B virus-host interactions and novel targets for viral cure. Curr Opin Virol 2021; 49:41-51. [PMID: 34029994 PMCID: PMC7613419 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic infection with HBV is a major cause of advanced liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Nucleos(t)ide analogues effectively control HBV replication but viral cure is rare. Hence treatment has often to be administered for an indefinite duration, increasing the risk for selection of drug resistant virus variants. PEG-interferon-α-based therapies can sometimes cure infection but suffer from a low response rate and severe side-effects. CHB is characterized by the persistence of a nuclear covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which is not targeted by approved drugs. Targeting host factors which contribute to the viral life cycle provides new opportunities for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies aiming at HBV cure. An improved understanding of the host immune system has resulted in new potentially curative candidate approaches. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding HBV-host interactions and highlight how this knowledge contributes to exploiting host-targeting strategies for a viral cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Ligat
- Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Inserm, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques UMRS 1110, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Eloi R Verrier
- Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Inserm, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques UMRS 1110, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Michael Nassal
- University Hospital Freiburg, Dept. of Internal Medicine 2/Molecular Biology, D79106 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas F Baumert
- Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Inserm, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques UMRS 1110, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire, Pôle Hépato-digestif, Nouvel Hôpital Civil, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
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38
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Nishio A, Bolte FJ, Takeda K, Park N, Yu ZX, Park H, Valdez K, Ghany MG, Rehermann B. Clearance of pegylated interferon by Kupffer cells limits NK cell activation and therapy response of patients with HBV infection. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:13/587/eaba6322. [PMID: 33790025 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aba6322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN-α), where IFN-α is attached to polyethylene glycol (PEG), is an approved treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a disease that causes liver-related morbidity and mortality in 257 million people worldwide. It is unknown why only a minority of patients respond to PEG-IFN-α. Using sequential blood samples and liver biopsies of patients with chronic HBV infection before, during, and after PEG-IFN-α treatment, we find that patients with early natural killer (NK) cell activation after PEG-IFN-α injection experienced greater liver inflammation, lysis of HBV-infected hepatocytes, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) decline than those without. NK cell activation was associated with induction of interferon-stimulated genes and determined by PEG-IFN-α pharmacokinetics. Patients with delayed increases in PEG-IFN-α concentrations had greater amounts of PEG-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) immune complexes in the blood and more PEG and IgM detected in the liver than patients with rapid increase in PEG-IFN-α concentration. This was associated with reduced NK cell activation. These results indicate that the immunomodulatory functions of PEG-IFN-α, particularly activation of NK cells, play a pivotal role in the response to treatment and further demonstrate that these functions are affected by PEG-IFN-α pharmacokinetics. Accelerated clearance of antibody-complexed pegylated drugs by Kupffer cells may be important beyond the field of HBV therapeutics. Thus, these findings may contribute to improving the efficacy of pegylated drugs that are now being developed for other chronic diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Nishio
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Fabian J Bolte
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kazuyo Takeda
- Pathology Core, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nana Park
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Zu-Xi Yu
- Pathology Core, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Heiyoung Park
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kristin Valdez
- Clinical Research Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Marc G Ghany
- Clinical Research Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Barbara Rehermann
- Immunology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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39
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Wing PAC, Liu PJ, Harris JM, Magri A, Michler T, Zhuang X, Borrmann H, Minisini R, Frampton NR, Wettengel JM, Mailly L, D'Arienzo V, Riedl T, Nobre L, Weekes MP, Pirisi M, Heikenwalder M, Baumert TF, Hammond EM, Mole DR, Protzer U, Balfe P, McKeating JA. Hypoxia inducible factors regulate hepatitis B virus replication by activating the basal core promoter. J Hepatol 2021; 75:64-73. [PMID: 33516779 PMCID: PMC8214165 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2020.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are a hallmark of inflammation and are key regulators of hepatic immunity and metabolism, yet their role in HBV replication is poorly defined. HBV replicates in hepatocytes within the liver, a naturally hypoxic organ, however most studies of viral replication are performed under conditions of atmospheric oxygen, where HIFs are inactive. We therefore investigated the role of HIFs in regulating HBV replication. METHODS Using cell culture, animal models, human tissue and pharmacological agents inhibiting the HIF-prolyl hydroxylases, we investigated the impact of hypoxia on the HBV life cycle. RESULTS Culturing liver cell-based model systems under low oxygen uncovered a new role for HIFs in binding HBV DNA and activating the basal core promoter, leading to increased pre-genomic RNA and de novo HBV particle secretion. The presence of hypoxia responsive elements among all primate members of the hepadnaviridae highlights an evolutionary conserved role for HIFs in regulating this virus family. CONCLUSIONS Identifying a role for this conserved oxygen sensor in regulating HBV transcription suggests that this virus has evolved to exploit the HIF signaling pathway to persist in the low oxygen environment of the liver. Our studies show the importance of considering oxygen availability when studying HBV-host interactions and provide innovative routes to better understand and target chronic HBV infection. LAY SUMMARY Viral replication in host cells is defined by the cellular microenvironment and one key factor is local oxygen tension. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicates in the liver, a naturally hypoxic organ. Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are the major sensors of low oxygen; herein, we identify a new role for these factors in regulating HBV replication, revealing new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A C Wing
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Oxford Institute (COI), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - James M Harris
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Magri
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Thomas Michler
- Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich partner site, Munich, Germany
| | - Xiaodong Zhuang
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Helene Borrmann
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rosalba Minisini
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Nicholas R Frampton
- Institute of Inflammation and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jochen M Wettengel
- Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich partner site, Munich, Germany
| | - Laurent Mailly
- Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; INSERM, U1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Tobias Riedl
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luis Nobre
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael P Weekes
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mario Pirisi
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Mathias Heikenwalder
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas F Baumert
- Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; INSERM, U1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ester M Hammond
- Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David R Mole
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ulrike Protzer
- Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich partner site, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Balfe
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jane A McKeating
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Oxford Institute (COI), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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40
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Review of Lambda Interferons in Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Outcomes and Therapeutic Strategies. Viruses 2021; 13:v13061090. [PMID: 34207487 PMCID: PMC8230240 DOI: 10.3390/v13061090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects over 250 million people worldwide and causes nearly 1 million deaths per year due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Approved treatments for chronic infection include injectable type-I interferons and nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors. A small minority of patients achieve seroclearance after treatment with type-I interferons, defined as sustained absence of detectable HBV DNA and surface antigen (HBsAg) antigenemia. However, type-I interferons cause significant side effects, are costly, must be administered for months, and most patients have viral rebound or non-response. Nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors reduce HBV viral load and improve liver-related outcomes, but do not lower HBsAg levels or impart seroclearance. Thus, new therapeutics are urgently needed. Lambda interferons (IFNLs) have been tested as an alternative strategy to stimulate host antiviral pathways to treat HBV infection. IFNLs comprise an evolutionarily conserved innate immune pathway and have cell-type specific activity on hepatocytes, other epithelial cells found at mucosal surfaces, and some immune cells due to restricted cellular expression of the IFNL receptor. This article will review work that examined expression of IFNLs during acute and chronic HBV infection, the impact of IFNLs on HBV replication in vitro and in vivo, the association of polymorphisms in IFNL genes with clinical outcomes, and the therapeutic evaluation of IFNLs for the treatment of chronic HBV infection.
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41
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Stadler D, Kächele M, Jones AN, Hess J, Urban C, Schneider J, Xia Y, Oswald A, Nebioglu F, Bester R, Lasitschka F, Ringelhan M, Ko C, Chou W, Geerlof A, van de Klundert MA, Wettengel JM, Schirmacher P, Heikenwälder M, Schreiner S, Bartenschlager R, Pichlmair A, Sattler M, Unger K, Protzer U. Interferon-induced degradation of the persistent hepatitis B virus cccDNA form depends on ISG20. EMBO Rep 2021; 22:e49568. [PMID: 33969602 PMCID: PMC8183418 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201949568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) persists by depositing a covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the nucleus of infected cells that cannot be targeted by available antivirals. Interferons can diminish HBV cccDNA via APOBEC3-mediated deamination. Here, we show that overexpression of APOBEC3A alone is not sufficient to reduce HBV cccDNA that requires additional treatment of cells with interferon indicating involvement of an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) in cccDNA degradation. Transcriptome analyses identify ISG20 as the only type I and II interferon-induced, nuclear protein with annotated nuclease activity. ISG20 localizes to nucleoli of interferon-stimulated hepatocytes and is enriched on deoxyuridine-containing single-stranded DNA that mimics transcriptionally active, APOBEC3A-deaminated HBV DNA. ISG20 expression is detected in human livers in acute, self-limiting but not in chronic hepatitis B. ISG20 depletion mitigates the interferon-induced loss of cccDNA, and co-expression with APOBEC3A is sufficient to diminish cccDNA. In conclusion, non-cytolytic HBV cccDNA decline requires the concerted action of a deaminase and a nuclease. Our findings highlight that ISGs may cooperate in their antiviral activity that may be explored for therapeutic targeting.
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42
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Aregay A, Engel B, Port K, Vondran FWR, Bremer B, Niehaus C, Khera T, Richter N, Jaeckel E, Cornberg M, Taubert R, Wedemeyer H. Distinct Immune Imprints of Post-Liver Transplantation Hepatitis C Persist Despite Viral Clearance. Liver Transpl 2021; 27:887-899. [PMID: 33641215 DOI: 10.1002/lt.26031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Recurrence or de novo infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation (LT) has been associated with progressive graft hepatitis that can be improved by treatment with novel direct-acting antivirals. Cases of rejection episodes have been described during and after HCV treatment. The evolution of innate and adaptive immune response during and after cure of HCV LT is unknown. We studied 74 protein biomarkers in the plasma of LT patients receiving antiviral therapy. In addition, deep immune phenotyping of both the myeloid and lymphoid immune cell subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed. We found that LT patients with active HCV infection displayed distinct alterations of inflammatory protein biomarkers, such as C-X-Cmotif chemokine 10 (CXCL10), caspase 8, C-C motif chemokine 20 (CCL20), CCL19, interferon γ, CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1), interleukin (IL)-18R1, CXCL11, CCL3, IL8, IL12B, tumor necrosis factor-beta, CXCL6, osteoprotegerin, IL10, fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, hepatocyte growth factor, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, neurotrophin-3, CCL4, IL6, tumornecrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9, programmed death ligand 1, IL18, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1, and enrichment of peripheral immune cell subsets unlike patients without HCV infection who received transplants. Interestingly, patients who cleared HCV after LT did not normalize the altered inflammatory milieu nor did the peripheral immune cell subsets normalize to what would be seen in the absence of HCV recurrence. Overall, these data indicate that HCV-specific imprints on inflammatory analytes and immune cell subsets after LT are not completely normalized by therapy-induced HCV elimination. This is in line with the clinical observation that cure of HCV after LT did not trigger rejection episodes in many patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amare Aregay
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bastian Engel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kerstin Port
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Florian W R Vondran
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Birgit Bremer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christian Niehaus
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tanvi Khera
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Richter
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elmar Jaeckel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Integrated Research and Treatment Centre Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Markus Cornberg
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, partner-site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany.,Centre for individualized infection medicine (CIIM), Hannover, Germany
| | - Richard Taubert
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Integrated Research and Treatment Centre Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Heiner Wedemeyer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Integrated Research and Treatment Centre Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, partner-site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
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43
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Slow viral propagation during initial phase of infection leads to viral persistence in mice. Commun Biol 2021; 4:508. [PMID: 33927339 PMCID: PMC8084999 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02028-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune evasion of pathogens can modify the course of infection and impact viral persistence and pathology. Here, using different strains of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) model system, we show that slower propagation results in limited type I interferon (IFN-I) production and viral persistence. Specifically, cells infected with LCMV-Docile exhibited reduced viral replication when compared to LCMV-WE and as a consequence, infection with LCMV-Docile resulted in reduced activation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and IFN-I production in vitro in comparison with LCMV-WE. In vivo, we observed a reduction of IFN-I, T cell exhaustion and viral persistence following infection of LCMV-Docile but not LCMV-WE. Mechanistically, block of intracellular protein transport uncovered reduced propagation of LCMV-Docile when compared to LCMV-WE. This reduced propagation was critical in blunting the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system. When mice were simultaneously infected with LCMV-Docile and LCMV-WE, immune function was restored and IFN-I production, T cell effector functions as well as viral loads were similar to that of mice infected with LCMV-WE alone. Taken together, this study suggests that reduced viral propagation can result in immune evasion and viral persistence. Using different strains of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Xu, Wang et al. show that a slow viral propagation limits type I interferon (IFN-I) production and viral persistence in mice. This study suggests a reduced viral propagation as a mechanism for immune evasion and viral persistence.
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Abstract
HDV is a small, defective RNA virus that requires the HBsAg of HBV for its assembly, release, and transmission. Chronic HBV/HDV infection often has a severe clinical outcome and is difficult to treat. The important role of a robust virus-specific T cell response for natural viral control has been established for many other chronic viral infections, but the exact role of the T cell response in the control and progression of chronic HDV infection is far less clear. Several recent studies have characterised HDV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses on a peptide level. This review comprehensively summarises all HDV-specific T cell epitopes described to date and describes our current knowledge of the role of T cells in HDV infection. While we now have better tools to study the adaptive anti-HDV-specific T cell response, further efforts are needed to define the HLA restriction of additional HDV-specific T cell epitopes, establish additional HDV-specific MHC tetramers, understand the degree of cross HDV genotype reactivity of individual epitopes and understand the correlation of the HBV- and HDV-specific T cell response, as well as the breadth and specificity of the intrahepatic HDV-specific T cell response.
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Key Words
- ADAR1, adenosine deaminases acting on RNA
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- AST, aspartate aminotransferase
- CD4+
- CD8+
- ELISpot, enzyme-linked immune spot assay
- HBV
- HDAg, hepatitis delta antigen
- HDV
- Hepatitis Delta
- ICS, intracellular cytokine staining
- IFN-, interferon-
- L-HDAg, large hepatitis delta antigen
- MAIT, mucosa-associated invariant T cells
- NK cells, natural killer cells
- NTCP, sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide
- PBMCs, peripheral blood mononuclear cells
- PD-1, programmed cell death protein 1
- PTM, post-translational modification
- Peg-IFN-α, pegylated interferon alpha
- S-HDAg, small hepatitis delta antigen
- T cell
- TCF, T cell-specific transcription factor
- TNFα, tumour necrosis factor-α
- Th1, T helper 1
- aa, amino acid(s)
- cccDNA, covalently closed circular DNA
- epitope
- viral escape
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45
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Luo P, Liang C, Jing W, Zhu M, Zhou H, Chai H, Worley PF, Tu J. Homer2 and Homer3 Act as Novel Biomarkers in Diagnosis of hepatitis B virus-induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Cancer 2021; 12:3439-3447. [PMID: 33995622 PMCID: PMC8120171 DOI: 10.7150/jca.52118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Early detection of HCC can significantly improve patients' outcomes. An increasing number of studies have validated that Homer is dysregulated in cancers and may serve as diagnostic markers. In the present study, we investigated the expression profile and diagnostic significance of Homer2 and Homer3 in hepatitis B virus-induced HCC (HBV-HCC). Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR), western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: Homer2 and Homer3 were downregulated in HCC. The expression of Homer2 was associated with tumor differentiation grade (P= 0.012) and total protein (TP) level (P= 0.032). Homer3 was related to tumor size (P= 0.010), tumor nodes (P= 0.026) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level (P= 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated that the combination of Homer2, Homer3 and AFP possessed a high accuracy (AUC=0.900) to diagnose HCC cases from healthy controls. Conclusion: Our data indicated that Homer2 and Homer3 were downregulated in HCC and might be potential diagnostic marker for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Luo
- Department of Hematology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Department & Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Chunzi Liang
- Department & Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Wei Jing
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine of Henan, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Man Zhu
- Department of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430014, P.R. China
| | - Hu Zhou
- Department of Transfusion, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
| | - Hongyan Chai
- Department & Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Paul F Worley
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 20205, USA
| | - Jiancheng Tu
- Department & Program of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
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Traum D, Wang YJ, Schwarz KB, Schug J, Wong DK, Janssen HLA, Terrault NA, Khalili M, Wahed AS, Murray KF, Rosenthal P, Ling SC, Rodriguez-Baez N, Sterling RK, Lau DT, Block TM, Feldman MD, Furth EE, Lee WM, Kleiner DE, Lok AS, Kaestner KH, Chang KM. Highly multiplexed 2-dimensional imaging mass cytometry analysis of HBV-infected liver. JCI Insight 2021; 6:146883. [PMID: 33621209 PMCID: PMC8119221 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.146883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of human hepatitis B virus (HBV) immune pathogenesis are hampered by limited access to liver tissues and technologies for detailed analyses. Here, utilizing imaging mass cytometry (IMC) to simultaneously detect 30 immune, viral, and structural markers in liver biopsies from patients with hepatitis B e antigen+ (HBeAg+) chronic hepatitis B, we provide potentially novel comprehensive visualization, quantitation, and phenotypic characterizations of hepatic adaptive and innate immune subsets that correlated with hepatocellular injury, histological fibrosis, and age. We further show marked correlations between adaptive and innate immune cell frequencies and phenotype, highlighting complex immune interactions within the hepatic microenvironment with relevance to HBV pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Traum
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Medical Research, The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yue J Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahasee, Florida, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Schug
- Department of Genetics and Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Kh Wong
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harry LA Janssen
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Norah A Terrault
- Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mandana Khalili
- Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Abdus S Wahed
- University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Karen F Murray
- Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Simon C Ling
- The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Paediatrics and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Norberto Rodriguez-Baez
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Richard K Sterling
- Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Daryl Ty Lau
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Michael D Feldman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Furth
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - William M Lee
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - David E Kleiner
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna S Lok
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Klaus H Kaestner
- Department of Genetics and Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kyong-Mi Chang
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Medical Research, The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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47
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Zhuang X, Forde D, Tsukuda S, D'Arienzo V, Mailly L, Harris JM, Wing PAC, Borrmann H, Schilling M, Magri A, Rubio CO, Maidstone RJ, Iqbal M, Garzon M, Minisini R, Pirisi M, Butterworth S, Balfe P, Ray DW, Watashi K, Baumert TF, McKeating JA. Circadian control of hepatitis B virus replication. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1658. [PMID: 33712578 PMCID: PMC7955118 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21821-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver disease and cancer worldwide for which there are no curative therapies. The major challenge in curing infection is eradicating or silencing the covalent closed circular DNA (cccDNA) form of the viral genome. The circadian factors BMAL1/CLOCK and REV-ERB are master regulators of the liver transcriptome and yet their role in HBV replication is unknown. We establish a circadian cycling liver cell-model and demonstrate that REV-ERB directly regulates NTCP-dependent hepatitis B and delta virus particle entry. Importantly, we show that pharmacological activation of REV-ERB inhibits HBV infection in vitro and in human liver chimeric mice. We uncover a role for BMAL1 to bind HBV genomes and increase viral promoter activity. Pharmacological inhibition of BMAL1 through REV-ERB ligands reduces pre-genomic RNA and de novo particle secretion. The presence of conserved E-box motifs among members of the Hepadnaviridae family highlight an evolutionarily conserved role for BMAL1 in regulating this family of small DNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Zhuang
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Donall Forde
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Senko Tsukuda
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Japan
| | | | - Laurent Mailly
- University of Strasbourg and Inserm, UMR-S1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France
| | - James M Harris
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter A C Wing
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Helene Borrmann
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mirjam Schilling
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Magri
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Robert J Maidstone
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mudassar Iqbal
- Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Miguel Garzon
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences and Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Rosalba Minisini
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Mario Pirisi
- Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Sam Butterworth
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences and Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Peter Balfe
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W Ray
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Koichi Watashi
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Japan
- Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Tokyo University of Science Graduate School of Science and Technology, Japan and Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Thomas F Baumert
- University of Strasbourg and Inserm, UMR-S1110, Institut de Recherche sur les Maladies Virales et Hépatiques, Strasbourg, France
- Pôle Hépato-Digestif, Institut Hopitalo-Universitaire (IHU), Hopitaux Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg and Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Jane A McKeating
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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48
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Cheng X, Uchida T, Xia Y, Umarova R, Liu CJ, Chen PJ, Gaggar A, Suri V, Mücke MM, Vermehren J, Zeuzem S, Teraoka Y, Osawa M, Aikata H, Tsuji K, Mori N, Hige S, Karino Y, Imamura M, Chayama K, Liang TJ. Diminished hepatic IFN response following HCV clearance triggers HBV reactivation in coinfection. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:3205-3220. [PMID: 32163375 DOI: 10.1172/jci135616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In patients with HBV and HCV coinfection, HBV reactivation leading to severe hepatitis has been reported with the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) to treat HCV infection. Here we studied the molecular mechanisms behind this viral interaction. In coinfected cell culture and humanized mice, HBV replication was suppressed by HCV coinfection. In vitro, HBV suppression was attenuated when interferon (IFN) signaling was blocked. In vivo, HBV viremia, after initial suppression by HCV superinfection, rebounded following HCV clearance by DAA treatment that was accompanied by a reduced hepatic IFN response. Using blood samples of coinfected patients, IFN-stimulated gene products including C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10), C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were identified to have predictive value for HBV reactivation after HCV clearance. Taken together, our data suggest that HBV reactivation is a result of diminished hepatic IFN response following HCV clearance and identify serologic markers that can predict HBV reactivation in DAA-treated HBV-HCV-coinfected persons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Cheng
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Takuro Uchida
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuchen Xia
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Regina Umarova
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Chun-Jen Liu
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jer Chen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hepatitis Research Center and Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Anuj Gaggar
- Gilead Sciences, Foster City, California, USA
| | | | - Marcus M Mücke
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Johannes Vermehren
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stefan Zeuzem
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Yuji Teraoka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Mitsutaka Osawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Aikata
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Keiji Tsuji
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Nami Mori
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Shuhei Hige
- Department of Hepatology, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Karino
- Department of Hepatology, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Michio Imamura
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chayama
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - T Jake Liang
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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49
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Hu Y, Zhang H, Wu M, Liu J, Li X, Zhu X, Li C, Chen H, Liu C, Niu J, Ding Y. Safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TQ-A3334, an oral toll-like receptor 7 agonist in healthy individuals. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:263-269. [PMID: 33405993 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1873275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS TQ-A3334, a selective, oral toll-like receptor (TLR)-7 agonist, is being developed to treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of TQ-A3334 in healthy participants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The effects of a single-ascending dose of TQ-A3334 (0.2-1.8 mg) combined with food (1.2 mg) were evaluated in 48 healthy participants. RESULTS No serious adverse events or discontinuations occurred in the study. The most common adverse reactions were lymphocyte count decreased and headache, which were generally consistent with IFN-α exposure and the mechanism of action of a TLR7 agonist. TQ-A3334 was rapidly absorbed, with a time to maximum plasma concentration of 0.42-0.5 h. Systemic exposure (Cmax and AUC) to TQ-A3334 increased with a slight saturation proportion to dose. Food reduced the exposure of TQ-A3334. The concentrations of MCP-1, ISG-15, MX-1, and OAS-1 were observed to be slightly dose-dependent, ranging from 1.0 to 1.8 mg TQ-A3334. CONCLUSIONS Oral doses of 0.2-1.8 mg appeared to be safe and tolerated. PD activity was seen at doses ranging from 1.0 to 1.8 mg, indicating its possible future use to treat CHB. TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial website (http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/index.html # CTR20182248).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hu
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Min Wu
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Jingrui Liu
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaojiao Li
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaoxue Zhu
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Cuiyun Li
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Chengjiao Liu
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Junqi Niu
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Yanhua Ding
- Phase I Clinical Research Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
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50
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Thimme R. T cell immunity to hepatitis C virus: Lessons for a prophylactic vaccine. J Hepatol 2021; 74:220-229. [PMID: 33002569 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2020.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is consensus that HCV-specific T cells play a central role in the outcome (clearance vs. persistence) of acute infection and that they contribute to protection against the establishment of persistence after reinfection. However, these T cells often fail and the virus can persist, largely as a result of T cell exhaustion and the emergence of viral escape mutations. Importantly, HCV cure by direct-acting antivirals does not lead to a complete reversion of T cell exhaustion and thus HCV reinfections can occur. The current lack of detailed knowledge about the immunological determinants of viral clearance, persistence and protective immunity is a major roadblock to the development of a prophylactic T cell vaccine. This minireview highlights the basic concepts of successful T cell immunity, major mechanisms of T cell failure and how our understanding of these concepts can be translated into a prophylactic vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Thimme
- Department of Medicine II, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Germany.
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