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Chandran S, Gibson KE. Improving the Detection and Understanding of Infectious Human Norovirus in Food and Water Matrices: A Review of Methods and Emerging Models. Viruses 2024; 16:776. [PMID: 38793656 PMCID: PMC11125872 DOI: 10.3390/v16050776] [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: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a leading global cause of viral gastroenteritis, contributing to numerous outbreaks and illnesses annually. However, conventional cell culture systems cannot support the cultivation of infectious HuNoV, making its detection and study in food and water matrices particularly challenging. Recent advancements in HuNoV research, including the emergence of models such as human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) and zebrafish larvae/embryo, have significantly enhanced our understanding of HuNoV pathogenesis. This review provides an overview of current methods employed for HuNoV detection in food and water, along with their associated limitations. Furthermore, it explores the potential applications of the HIE and zebrafish larvae/embryo models in detecting infectious HuNoV within food and water matrices. Finally, this review also highlights the need for further optimization and exploration of these models and detection methods to improve our understanding of HuNoV and its presence in different matrices, ultimately contributing to improved intervention strategies and public health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristen E. Gibson
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, AR 72704, USA;
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2
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Tamura T, Yamamoto H, Ogino S, Morioka Y, Tsujino S, Suzuki R, Hiono T, Suzuki S, Isoda N, Sakoda Y, Fukuhara T. A rapid and versatile reverse genetics approach for generating recombinant positive-strand RNA viruses that use IRES-mediated translation. J Virol 2024; 98:e0163823. [PMID: 38353536 PMCID: PMC10949505 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01638-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Reverse genetics systems have played a central role in developing recombinant viruses for a wide spectrum of virus research. The circular polymerase extension reaction (CPER) method has been applied to studying positive-strand RNA viruses, allowing researchers to bypass molecular cloning of viral cDNA clones and thus leading to the rapid generation of recombinant viruses. However, thus far, the CPER protocol has only been established using cap-dependent RNA viruses. Here, we demonstrate that a modified version of the CPER method can be successfully applied to positive-strand RNA viruses that use cap-independent, internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-mediated translation. As a proof-of-concept, we employed mammalian viruses with different types (classes I, II, and III) of IRES to optimize the CPER method. Using the hepatitis C virus (HCV, class III), we found that inclusion in the CPER assembly of an RNA polymerase I promoter and terminator, instead of those from polymerase II, allowed greater viral production. This approach was also successful in generating recombinant bovine viral diarrhea virus (class III) following transfection of MDBK/293T co-cultures to overcome low transfection efficiency. In addition, we successfully generated the recombinant viruses from clinical specimens. Our modified CPER could be used for producing hepatitis A virus (HAV, type I) as well as de novo generation of encephalomyocarditis virus (type II). Finally, we generated recombinant HCV and HAV reporter viruses that exhibited replication comparable to that of the wild-type parental viruses. The recombinant HAV reporter virus helped evaluate antivirals. Taking the findings together, this study offers methodological advances in virology. IMPORTANCE The lack of versatility of reverse genetics systems remains a bottleneck in viral research. Especially when (re-)emerging viruses reach pandemic levels, rapid characterization and establishment of effective countermeasures using recombinant viruses are beneficial in disease control. Indeed, numerous studies have attempted to establish and improve the methods. The circular polymerase extension reaction (CPER) method has overcome major obstacles in generating recombinant viruses. However, this method has not yet been examined for positive-strand RNA viruses that use cap-independent, internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation. Here, we engineered a suitable gene cassette to expand the CPER method for all positive-strand RNA viruses. Furthermore, we overcame the difficulty of generating recombinant viruses because of low transfection efficiency. Using this modified method, we also successfully generated reporter viruses and recombinant viruses from a field sample without virus isolation. Taking these findings together, our adapted methodology is an innovative technology that could help advance virologic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomokazu Tamura
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Yamamoto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Saho Ogino
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yuhei Morioka
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Shuhei Tsujino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Rigel Suzuki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hiono
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Saori Suzuki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Norikazu Isoda
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Sakoda
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takasuke Fukuhara
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- AMED-CREST, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan
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3
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Bajpai PS, Collignon L, Sølund C, Madsen LW, Christensen PB, Øvrehus A, Weis N, Holmbeck K, Fahnøe U, Bukh J. Full-length sequence analysis of hepatitis C virus genotype 3b strains and development of an in vivo infectious 3b cDNA clone. J Virol 2023; 97:e0092523. [PMID: 38092564 PMCID: PMC10734419 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00925-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE HCV genotype 3b is a difficult-to-treat subtype, associated with accelerated progression of liver disease and resistance to antivirals. Moreover, its prevalence has significantly increased among persons who inject drugs posing a serious risk of transmission in the general population. Thus, more genetic information and antiviral testing systems are required to develop novel therapeutic options for this genotype 3 subtype. We determined the complete genomic sequence and complexity of three genotype 3b isolates, which will be beneficial to study its biology and evolution. Furthermore, we developed a full-length in vivo infectious cDNA clone of genotype 3b and showed its robustness and genetic stability in human-liver chimeric mice. This is, to our knowledge the first reported infectious cDNA clone of HCV genotype 3b and will provide a valuable tool to evaluate antivirals and neutralizing antibodies in vivo, as well as in the development of infectious cell culture systems required for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Shukla Bajpai
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Collignon
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Lone Wulff Madsen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Peer Brehm Christensen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anne Øvrehus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kenn Holmbeck
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
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Tan MTH, Gong Z, Li D. Use of Zebrafish Embryos To Reproduce Human Norovirus and To Evaluate Human Norovirus Infectivity Decay after UV Treatment. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0011523. [PMID: 36943055 PMCID: PMC10132098 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00115-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study reports an essential improvement of the method for replication of human norovirus (HNoV) with the use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. With three HNoV genotypes and P-types GII.2[P16], GII.4[P16], and GII.17[P31], we demonstrated that this tool had higher efficiency and robustness than the zebrafish larvae as reported previously. When zebrafish larvae were injected with virus (1.6 ± 0.3 log genome copies/10 larvae), a significant increase of virus genome copies was detected at 2 days postinfection (dpi; 4.4 ± 0.8 log genome copies/10 larvae, P < 0.05) and the viral loads started to decrease gradually from 3 dpi. In comparison, when the viruses were injected into the zebrafish embryos, significant virus replication was noticed from 1 dpi and lasted to 6 dpi (P < 0.05). The virus levels detected at 3 dpi had the highest mean value and the smallest variation (7.7 ± 0.2 log genome copies/10 larvae). The high levels of virus replication enabled continuous passaging for all three strains up to four passages. The zebrafish embryo-generated HNoVs showed clear patterns of binding to human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) in human saliva by a simple saliva-binding reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Last, in a disinfection study, it was shown that a dose of 6 mJ/cm2 UV254 was able induce a >2-log reduction in HNoV infectivity for all three HNoV strains tested, suggesting that HNoVs were more UV susceptible than multiple enteric viruses and commonly used HNoV surrogates as tested before. IMPORTANCE HNoVs are a leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. The zebrafish embryo tool as developed in this study serves as an efficient way to generate viruses with high titers and clean background and a straightforward platform to evaluate HNoV inactivation efficacies. It is expected that this tool will not only benefit epidemiological research on HNoV but also be used to generate HNoV inactivation parameters which are highly needed by the water treatment and food industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm Turk Hsern Tan
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhiyuan Gong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Rheault M, Cousineau SE, Fox DR, Abram QH, Sagan S. Elucidating the distinct contributions of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle reveals insights into virion assembly. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:2447-2463. [PMID: 36807979 PMCID: PMC10018354 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA accumulation is dependent upon interactions with the human liver-specific microRNA, miR-122. MiR-122 has at least three roles in the HCV life cycle: it acts as an RNA chaperone, or 'riboswitch', allowing formation of the viral internal ribosomal entry site; it provides genome stability; and promotes viral translation. However, the relative contribution of each role in HCV RNA accumulation remains unclear. Herein, we used point mutations, mutant miRNAs, and HCV luciferase reporter RNAs to isolate each of the roles and evaluate their contribution to the overall impact of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle. Our results suggest that the riboswitch has a minimal contribution in isolation, while genome stability and translational promotion have similar contributions in the establishment phase of infection. However, in the maintenance phase, translational promotion becomes the dominant role. Additionally, we found that an alternative conformation of the 5' untranslated region, termed SLIIalt, is important for efficient virion assembly. Taken together, we have clarified the overall importance of each of the established roles of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle and provided insight into the regulation of the balance between viral RNAs in the translating/replicating pool and those engaged in virion assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marylin Rheault
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Sophie E Cousineau
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Danielle R Fox
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Quinn H Abram
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Selena M Sagan
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 514 398 8110;
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Pham LV, Velázquez-Moctezuma R, Fahnøe U, Collignon L, Bajpai P, Sølund C, Weis N, Holmbeck K, Prentoe J, Bukh J. Novel HCV Genotype 4d Infectious Systems and Assessment of Direct-Acting Antivirals and Antibody Neutralization. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112527. [PMID: 36423136 PMCID: PMC9698709 DOI: 10.3390/v14112527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 is highly prevalent in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Subtype 4d has recently spread among high-risk groups in Europe. However, 4d infectious culture systems are not available, hampering studies of drugs, as well as neutralizing antibodies relevant for HCV vaccine development. We determined the consensus 4d sequence from a chronic hepatitis C patient by next-generation sequencing, generated a full-length clone thereof (pDH13), and demonstrated that pDH13 RNA-transcripts were viable in the human-liver chimeric mouse model, but not in Huh7.5 cells. However, a JFH1-based DH13 Core-NS5A 4d clone encoding A1671S, T1785V, and D2411G was viable in Huh7.5 cells, with efficient growth after inclusion of 10 additional substitutions [4d(C5A)-13m]. The efficacies of NS3/4A protease- and NS5A- inhibitors against genotypes 4a and 4d were similar, except for ledipasvir, which is less potent against 4d. Compared to 4a, the 4d(C5A)-13m virus was more sensitive to neutralizing monoclonal antibodies AR3A and AR5A, as well as 4a and 4d patient plasma antibodies. In conclusion, we developed the first genotype 4d infectious culture system enabling DAA efficacy testing and antibody neutralization assessment critical to optimization of DAA treatments in the clinic and for vaccine design to combat the HCV epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long V. Pham
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Velázquez-Moctezuma
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Collignon
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Priyanka Bajpai
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kenn Holmbeck
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence:
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Wallace HL, Wang L, Gardner CL, Corkum CP, Grant MD, Hirasawa K, Russell RS. Crosstalk Between Pyroptosis and Apoptosis in Hepatitis C Virus-induced Cell Death. Front Immunol 2022; 13:788138. [PMID: 35237259 PMCID: PMC8882739 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.788138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive inflammation in the liver is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Apoptosis has, for a long time, been known to act as a mechanism of hepatocyte death, but our previous research also identified inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in infected and uninfected bystander cells as an additional mechanism of HCV-induced cytopathicity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of HCV-induced cell death and to determine the timing and relative contributions of apoptosis and pyroptosis during HCV infection. In a model employing a cell culture-adapted strain of JFH-1 HCV and Huh-7.5 hepatocyte-like cells, we found that pyroptosis occurred earlier than did apoptosis during infection. CRISPR knockout of NLRP3 resulted in decreased caspase-1 activation, but not complete elimination, indicating multiple sensors are likely involved in HCV-induced pyroptosis. Knockout of gasdermin-D resulted in increased activation of apoptosis-related caspase-3, suggesting potential crosstalk between the two cell death pathways. An unexpected decrease in activated caspase-1 levels was observed when caspase-3 was knocked out, implying that caspase-3 may have a role in the initiation of pyroptosis, at least in the context of HCV infection. Lower viral titres in culture fluids and increased ratios of intracellular to extracellular levels of infectious virus were observed in knockout versus wild-type Huh-7.5 cells, suggesting that HCV may induce programmed cell death in order to enhance virus release from infected cells. These results contribute to the understanding of HCV pathogenesis and add to the increasing volume of literature suggesting various programmed cell death pathways are not mutually exclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L. Wallace
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Lingyan Wang
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Cassandra L. Gardner
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Christopher P. Corkum
- Confocal Imaging/Flow Cytometry Unit, Medical Laboratories, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Michael D. Grant
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Kensuke Hirasawa
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Rodney S. Russell
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
- *Correspondence: Rodney S. Russell,
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Poly(rC)-Binding Protein 1 Limits Hepatitis C Virus Virion Assembly and Secretion. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020291. [PMID: 35215884 PMCID: PMC8877974 DOI: 10.3390/v14020291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-opts numerous cellular elements, including proteins, lipids, and microRNAs, to complete its viral life cycle. The cellular RNA-binding protein, poly(rC)-binding protein 1 (PCBP1), was previously reported to bind to the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the HCV genome; however, its importance in the viral life cycle has remained unclear. Herein, we sought to clarify the role of PCBP1 in the HCV life cycle. Using the HCV cell culture (HCVcc) system, we found that knockdown of endogenous PCBP1 resulted in an overall decrease in viral RNA accumulation, yet resulted in an increase in extracellular viral titers. To dissect PCBP1’s specific role in the HCV life cycle, we carried out assays for viral entry, translation, genome stability, RNA replication, as well as virion assembly and secretion. We found that PCBP1 knockdown did not directly affect viral entry, translation, RNA stability, or RNA replication, but resulted in an overall increase in infectious particle secretion. This increase in virion secretion was evident even when viral RNA synthesis was inhibited, and blocking virus secretion could partially restore the viral RNA accumulation decreased by PCBP1 knockdown. We therefore propose a model where endogenous PCBP1 normally limits virion assembly and secretion, which increases viral RNA accumulation in infected cells by preventing the departure of viral genomes packaged into virions. Overall, our findings improve our understanding of how cellular RNA-binding proteins influence viral genomic RNA utilization during the HCV life cycle.
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9
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Chen M, Xu Y, Li N, Yin P, Zhou Q, Feng S, Wu T, Wei L, Wang H, Fu Y, Li YP. Development of full-length cell-culture infectious clone and subgenomic replicon for a genotype 3a isolate of hepatitis C virus. J Gen Virol 2021; 102. [DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 is widely distributed, and genotype 3-infected patients achieve a lower cure rate in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy and are associated with a higher risk of hepatic steatosis than patients with other genotypes. Thus, the study of the virology and pathogenesis of genotype 3 HCV is increasingly relevant. Here, we developed a full-length infectious clone and a subgenomic replicon for the genotype 3a isolate, CH3a. From an infected serum, we constructed a full-length CH3a clone, however, it was nonviable in Huh7.5.1 cells. Next, we systematically adapted several intergenotypic recombinants containing Core-NS2 and 5′UTR-NS5A from CH3a, and other sequences from a replication-competent genotype 2 a clone JFH1. Adaptive mutations were identified, of which several combinations facilitated the replication of CH3a-JFH1 recombinants; however, they failed to adapt to the full-length CH3a and the recombinants containing CH3a NS5B. Thus, we attempted to separately adapt CH3a NS5B-3′UTR by constructing an intragenotypic recombinant using 5′UTR-NS5A from an infectious genotype 3a clone, DBN3acc, from which L3004P/M in NS5B and a deletion of 11 nucleotides (Δ11nt) downstream of the polyU/UC tract of the 3′UTR were identified and demonstrated to efficiently improve virus production. Finally, we combined functional 5′UTR-NS5A and NS5B-3′UTR sequences that carried the selected mutations to generate full-length CH3a with 26 or 27 substitutions (CH3acc), and both revealed efficient replication and virus spread in transfected and infected cells, releasing HCV of 104.2 f.f.u. ml−1. CH3acc was inhibited by DAAs targeting NS3/4A, NS5A and NS5B in a dose-dependent manner. The selected mutations permitted the development of subgenomic replicon CH3a-SGRep, by which L3004P, L3004M and Δ11nt were proven, together with a single-cycle virus production assay, to facilitate virus assembly, release, and RNA replication. CH3acc clones and CH3a-SGRep replicon provide new tools for the study of HCV genotype 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxiao Chen
- Joint Program in Pathology, Department of Internal Medicine, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510623, PR China
| | - Yi Xu
- Joint Program in Pathology, Department of Internal Medicine, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510623, PR China
| | - Ni Li
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Ping Yin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510150, PR China
| | - Qing Zhou
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Shengjun Feng
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Tiantian Wu
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Lai Wei
- Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, PR China
| | - Haihe Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - Yongshui Fu
- Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou 510095, PR China
| | - Yi-Ping Li
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, PR China
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10
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Galli A, Fahnøe U, Bukh J. High Recombination Rate of Hepatitis C Virus Revealed by a Green Fluorescent Protein Reconstitution Cell System. Virus Evol 2021; 8:veab106. [PMID: 35223082 PMCID: PMC8865082 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic recombination is an important evolutionary mechanism for RNA viruses and can facilitate escape from immune and drug pressure. Recombinant hepatitis C virus (HCV) variants have rarely been detected in patients, suggesting that HCV has intrinsic low recombination rate. Recombination of HCV has been demonstrated in vitro between non-functional genomes, but its frequency and relevance for viral evolution and life cycle has not been clarified. We developed a cell-based assay to detect and quantify recombination between fully viable HCV genomes, using the reconstitution of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a surrogate marker for recombination. Here, two GFP-expressing HCV genomes carrying different inactivating GFP mutations can produce a virus carrying a functional GFP by recombining within the GFP region. Generated constructs allowed quantification of recombination rates between markers spaced 603 and 553 nucleotides apart by flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Viral constructs showed comparable spread kinetics and reached similar infectivity titers in Huh7.5 cells, allowing their use in co-transfections and co-infections. Single-cycle co-transfection experiments, performed in CD81-deficient S29 cells, showed GFP expression in double-infected cells, demonstrating genome mixing and occurrence of recombination. Quantification of recombinant genomes by NGS revealed an average rate of 6.1 per cent, corresponding to 49 per cent of maximum detectable recombination (MDR). Experiments examining recombination during the full replication cycle of HCV, performed in Huh7.5 cells, demonstrated average recombination rates of 5.0 per cent (40.0 per cent MDR) and 3.6 per cent (28.8 per cent MDR) for markers spaced by 603 and 553 nucleotides, respectively, supporting a linear relationship between marker distance and recombination rates. First passage infections using recombinant virus supernatant resulted in comparable recombination rates of 5.9 per cent (47.2 per cent MDR) and 3.5 per cent (28.0 per cent MDR), respectively, for markers spaced by 603 and 553 nucleotides. We developed a functional cell-based assay that, to the best of our knowledge, allows for the first time detailed quantification of recombination rates using fully viable HCV constructs. Our data indicate that HCV recombines at high frequency between highly similar genomes and that the frequency of recombination increases with the distance between marker sites. These results have implication for our understanding of HCV evolution and emphasize the importance of recombination in the reassortment of mutations in the HCV genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Galli
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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miR-122-based therapies select for three distinct resistance mechanisms based on alterations in RNA structure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103671118. [PMID: 34385308 PMCID: PMC8379925 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103671118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA)–based drugs are quickly taking the clinic by storm. Herein, we analyzed resistance-associated variants (RAVs) to the first miRNA inhibitors to make it to the clinic, namely miR-122 inhibitors for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We uncovered three distinct resistance mechanisms based on unique alterations to the structure of the viral RNA. Specifically, RAVs altered the structure of the viral RNA in a manner that promotes riboswitch activity, genome stability, or positive-strand viral RNA synthesis. Our findings support recent models of miR-122–mediated HCV RNA accumulation and provide mechanism(s) of resistance to antiviral therapy. These early insights into the mechanism(s) of resistance to miRNA-based therapies may be of importance as more miRNA-targeted therapies enter into the clinic. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-sense RNA virus that interacts with a liver-specific microRNA called miR-122. miR-122 binds to two sites in the 5′ untranslated region of the viral genome and promotes HCV RNA accumulation. This interaction is important for viral RNA accumulation in cell culture, and miR-122 inhibitors have been shown to be effective at reducing viral titers in chronic HCV-infected patients. Herein, we analyzed resistance-associated variants that were isolated in cell culture or from patients who underwent miR-122 inhibitor–based therapy and discovered three distinct resistance mechanisms all based on changes to the structure of the viral RNA. Specifically, resistance-associated variants promoted riboswitch activity, genome stability, or positive-strand viral RNA synthesis, all in the absence of miR-122. Taken together, these findings provide insight into the mechanism(s) of miR-122–mediated viral RNA accumulation and provide mechanisms of antiviral resistance mediated by changes in RNA structure.
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12
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A Novel Small Molecule Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus Propagation in Cell Culture. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0043921. [PMID: 34319169 PMCID: PMC8552720 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00439-21] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause acute and chronic infection that is associated with considerable liver-related morbidity and mortality. In recent years, there has been a shift in the treatment paradigm with the discovery and approval of agents that target specific proteins vital for viral replication. We employed a cell culture-adapted strain of HCV and human hepatoma-derived cells lines to test the effects of our novel small-molecule compound (AO13) on HCV. Virus inhibition was tested by analyzing RNA replication, protein expression, and virus production in virus-infected cells treated with AO13. Treatment with AO13 inhibited virus spread in cell culture and showed a 100-fold reduction in the levels of infectious virus production. AO13 significantly reduced the level of viral RNA contained within cell culture fluids and reduced the cellular levels of HCV core protein, suggesting that the compound might act on a late step in the viral life cycle. Finally, we observed that AO13 did not affect the release of infectious virus from infected cells. Docking studies and molecular dynamics analyses suggested that AO13 might target the NS5B RNA polymerase, however, real-time RT-PCR analyses of cellular levels of HCV RNA showed only an ∼2-fold reduction in viral RNA levels in the presence of AO13. Taken together, this study revealed that AO13 showed consistent, but low-level antiviral effect against HCV, although the mechanism of action remains unclear. IMPORTANCE The discovery of curative antiviral drugs for a chronic disease such as HCV infection has encouraged drug discovery in the context of other viruses for which no curative drugs currently exist. Since we currently face a novel virus that has caused a pandemic, the need for new antiviral agents is more apparent than ever. We describe here a novel compound that shows a modest antiviral effect against HCV that could serve as a lead compound for future drug development against other important viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
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13
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Izumi T, Morioka Y, Urayama SI, Motooka D, Tamura T, Kawagishi T, Kanai Y, Kobayashi T, Ono C, Morinaga A, Tomiyama T, Iseda N, Kosai Y, Inokuchi S, Nakamura S, Tanaka T, Moriishi K, Kariwa H, Yoshizumi T, Mori M, Matsuura Y, Fukuhara T. DsRNA Sequencing for RNA Virus Surveillance Using Human Clinical Samples. Viruses 2021; 13:v13071310. [PMID: 34372516 PMCID: PMC8309968 DOI: 10.3390/v13071310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although viruses infect various organs and are associated with diseases, there may be many unidentified pathogenic viruses. The recent development of next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated the establishment of an environmental viral metagenomic approach targeting the intracellular viral genome. However, an efficient method for the detection of a viral genome derived from an RNA virus in animal or human samples has not been established. Here, we established a method for the efficient detection of RNA viruses in human clinical samples. We then tested the efficiency of the method compared to other conventional methods by using tissue samples collected from 57 recipients of living donor liver transplantations performed between June 2017 and February 2019 at Kyushu University Hospital. The viral read ratio in human clinical samples was higher by the new method than by the other conventional methods. In addition, the new method correctly identified viral RNA from liver tissues infected with hepatitis C virus. This new technique will be an effective tool for intracellular RNA virus surveillance in human clinical samples and may be useful for the detection of new RNA viruses associated with diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Izumi
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.I.); (Y.M.); (T.T.); (C.O.)
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Yuhei Morioka
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.I.); (Y.M.); (T.T.); (C.O.)
| | - Syun-ichi Urayama
- Laboratory of Fungal Interaction and Molecular Biology (Donated by IFO), Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan;
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (D.M.); (S.N.)
| | - Tomokazu Tamura
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.I.); (Y.M.); (T.T.); (C.O.)
| | - Takahiro Kawagishi
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.K.); (Y.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Yuta Kanai
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.K.); (Y.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Takeshi Kobayashi
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.K.); (Y.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Chikako Ono
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.I.); (Y.M.); (T.T.); (C.O.)
| | - Akinari Morinaga
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Takahiro Tomiyama
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Norifumi Iseda
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Yukiko Kosai
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Shoichi Inokuchi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Shota Nakamura
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (D.M.); (S.N.)
| | - Tomohisa Tanaka
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamanashi University, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan; (T.T.); (K.M.)
| | - Kohji Moriishi
- Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamanashi University, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan; (T.T.); (K.M.)
| | - Hiroaki Kariwa
- Laboratory of Public Health, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan;
| | - Tomoharu Yoshizumi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Masaki Mori
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan; (A.M.); (T.T.); (N.I.); (Y.K.); (S.I.); (T.Y.); (M.M.)
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Laboratory of Virus Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (T.I.); (Y.M.); (T.T.); (C.O.)
- Correspondence: (Y.M.); (T.F.); Tel.: +81-6-6879-8340 (Y.M.); +81-11-706-6905 (T.F.); Fax: +81-6-6879-8269 (Y.M.); +81-11-706-6906 (T.F.)
| | - Takasuke Fukuhara
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan
- Correspondence: (Y.M.); (T.F.); Tel.: +81-6-6879-8340 (Y.M.); +81-11-706-6905 (T.F.); Fax: +81-6-6879-8269 (Y.M.); +81-11-706-6906 (T.F.)
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14
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Joshita S, Yamashita Y, Okamoto T, Usami Y, Sugiura A, Yamazaki T, Kakino A, Ota M, Sawamura T, Umemura T. Quantitative and qualitative lipid improvement with chronic hepatitis C virus eradication using direct-acting antivirals. Hepatol Res 2021; 51:758-766. [PMID: 33982310 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.13666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
AIM Direct-acting antivirals have revolutionized hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy by providing a high sustained virological response (SVR) rate and subsequent favorable lipid increases. Proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin like-9 (PCSK9) plays an important role in regulating quantitative lipid levels. This study examined the interactions between quantitative PCSK9 and lipid changes, as well as qualitative lipid changes in terms of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-1 ligand containing apolipoprotein B (LAB) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol uptake capacity (HDL-CUC). METHODS Patients with chronic HCV infection (N = 231) who achieved an SVR by direct-acting antivirals without lipid-lowering therapy were included for comparisons of PCSK9, LAB, HDL-CUC, and other clinical indices between pretreatment and SVR12 time points. RESULTS LDL (LDL) cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels were quantitatively increased at SVR12, along with higher PCSK9 (all p < 0.0001). PCSK9 was significantly correlated with LDL cholesterol (r = 0.244, p = 0.0003) and apolipoprotein B (r = 0.222, p = 0.0009) at SVR12. Regarding qualitative LDL changes, LAB was significantly decreased and LAB/LDL cholesterol and LAB/apolipoprotein B proportions were improved at SVR12 (all p < 0.0001). In terms of qualitative HDL changes, HDL-CUC was significantly ameliorated, along with HDL-CUC/HDL cholesterol, HDL-CUC/ apolipoprotein A1, and HDL-CUC/ apolipoprotein A2 at SVR12 (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS HCV eradication by direct-acting antivirals may produce quantitative lipid profile changes, along with PCSK9 production recovery in addition to qualitative lipid improvement, which possibly confers the additional secondary benefits of atherosclerosis improvement and cardiovascular disease event reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoru Joshita
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Yamashita
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Toru Okamoto
- Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies Research, Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoko Usami
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shinshu University Hospital, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Ayumi Sugiura
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Tomoo Yamazaki
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Akemi Kakino
- Department of Molecular Pathophysiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.,Department of Life Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Masao Ota
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Sawamura
- Department of Molecular Pathophysiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.,Department of Life Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Takeji Umemura
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.,Department of Life Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
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15
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Hepatitis C virus modulates signal peptide peptidase to alter host protein processing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2026184118. [PMID: 34035171 PMCID: PMC8179148 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026184118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanism by which hepatitis C virus (HCV) evades immune surveillance and causes chronic infection is unclear. We demonstrate here that HCV core protein interferes with the maturation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I catalyzed by signal peptide peptidase (SPP) and induces degradation via HMG-CoA reductase degradation 1 homolog. In addition, we found that the core protein transmembrane domain is homologous to the human cytomegalovirus US2 protein, whose transmembrane region also targets SPP to impair MHC class I molecule expression in a similar manner. Therefore, our data suggest that SPP represents a potential target for the impairment of MHC class I molecules by DNA and RNA viruses. Immunoevasins are viral proteins that prevent antigen presentation on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I, thus evading host immune recognition. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) evades immune surveillance to induce chronic infection; however, how HCV-infected hepatocytes affect immune cells and evade immune recognition remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrate that HCV core protein functions as an immunoevasin. Its expression interfered with the maturation of MHC class I molecules catalyzed by the signal peptide peptidase (SPP) and induced their degradation via HMG-CoA reductase degradation 1 homolog, thereby impairing antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells. The expression of MHC class I in the livers of HCV core transgenic mice and chronic hepatitis C patients was impaired but was restored in patients achieving sustained virological response. Finally, we show that the human cytomegalovirus US2 protein, possessing a transmembrane region structurally similar to the HCV core protein, targets SPP to impair MHC class I molecule expression. Thus, SPP represents a potential target for the impairment of MHC class I molecules by DNA and RNA viruses.
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16
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Filip R, Desrochers GF, Lefebvre DM, Reed A, Singaravelu R, Cravatt BF, Pezacki JP. Profiling of MicroRNA Targets Using Activity-Based Protein Profiling: Linking Enzyme Activity to MicroRNA-185 Function. Cell Chem Biol 2021; 28:202-212.e6. [PMID: 33450181 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as cellular signal transducers through repression of protein translation. Elucidating targets using bioinformatics and traditional quantitation methods is often insufficient to uncover global miRNA function. Herein, alteration of protein function caused by miRNA-185 (miR-185), an immunometabolic miRNA, was determined using activity-based protein profiling, transcriptomics, and lipidomics. Fluorophosphonate-based activity-based protein profiling of miR-185-induced changes to human liver cells revealed that exclusively metabolic serine hydrolase enzymes were regulated in activity, some with roles in lipid and endocannabinoid metabolism. Lipidomic analysis linked enzymatic changes to levels of cellular lipid species, such as components of very-low-density lipoprotein particles. Additionally, inhibition of one miR-185 target, monoglyceride lipase, led to decreased hepatitis C virus levels in an infectious model. Overall, the approaches used here were able to identify key functional changes in serine hydrolases caused by miR-185 that are targetable pharmacologically, such that a small molecule inhibitor can recapitulate the miRNA phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana Filip
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Geneviève F Desrochers
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - David M Lefebvre
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Alex Reed
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Benjamin F Cravatt
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - John Paul Pezacki
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada.
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17
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Zheng F, Li N, Xu Y, Zhou Y, Li YP. Adaptive mutations promote hepatitis C virus assembly by accelerating core translocation to the endoplasmic reticulum. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100018. [PMID: 33144326 PMCID: PMC7949066 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.016010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The envelopment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is believed to occur primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated membrane, and the translocation of viral Core protein from lipid droplets (LDs) to the ER is essential for the envelopment of viral particles. However, the factors involved are not completely understood. Herein, we identified eight adaptive mutations that enhanced virus spread and infectivity of genotype 1a clone TNcc in hepatoma Huh7 cells through long-term culture adaptation and reverse genetic study. Of eight mutations, I853V in NS2 and C2865F in NS5B were found to be minimal mutation sets that enabled an increase in virus production without apparently affecting RNA replication, thus suggesting its roles in the post-replication stage of the HCV life cycle. Using a protease K protection and confocal microscopy analysis, we demonstrated that C2865F and the combination of I853V/C2865F enhanced virus envelopment by facilitating Core translocation from the LDs to the ER. Buoyant density analysis revealed that I853V/C2865F contributed to the release of virion with a density of ∼1.10 g/ml. Moreover, we demonstrated that NS5B directly interacted with NS2 at the protease domain and that mutations I853V, C2865F, and I853V/C2865F enhanced the interaction. In addition, C2865F also enhanced the interaction between NS5B and Core. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that adaptive mutations in NS2 and NS5B promoted HCV envelopment by accelerating Core translocation from the LDs to the ER and reinforced the interaction between NS2 and NS5B. The findings facilitate our understanding of the assembly of HCV morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuxiang Zheng
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ni Li
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Pediatric, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanping Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi-Ping Li
- Institute of Human Virology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Infectious Disease, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China.
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18
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Genome-Wide Mutagenesis of Hepatitis C Virus Reveals Ability of Genome To Overcome Detrimental Mutations. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.01327-19. [PMID: 31723027 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01327-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
To gain insight into the impact of mutations on the viability of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, we created a set of full-genome mutant libraries, differing from the parent sequence as well as each other, by using a random mutagenesis approach; the proportion of mutations increased across these libraries with declining template amount or dATP concentration. The replication efficiencies of full-genome mutant libraries ranged between 71 and 329 focus-forming units (FFU) per 105 Huh7.5 cells. Mutant libraries with low proportions of mutations demonstrated low replication capabilities, whereas those with high proportions of mutations had their replication capabilities restored. Hepatoma cells transfected with selected mutant libraries, with low (4 mutations per 10,000 bp copied), moderate (33 mutations), and high (66 mutations) proportions of mutations, and their progeny were subjected to serial passage. Predominant virus variants (mutants) from these mutant libraries (Mutantl, Mutantm, and Mutanth, respectively) were evaluated for changes in growth kinetics and particle-to-FFU unit ratio, virus protein expression, and modulation of host cell protein synthesis. Mutantm and Mutantl variants produced >3.0-log-higher extracellular progeny per ml than the parent, and Mutanth produced progeny at a rate 1.0-log lower. More than 80% of the mutations were in a nonstructural part of the mutant genomes, the majority were nonsynonymous, and a moderate to large proportion were in the conserved regions. Our results suggest that the HCV genome has the ability to overcome lethal/deleterious mutations because of the high reproduction rate but highly selects for random, beneficial mutations.IMPORTANCE Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in vivo displays high genetic heterogeneity, which is partly due to the high reproduction and random substitutions during error-prone genome replication. It is difficult to introduce random substitutions in vitro because of limitations in inducing mutagenesis from the 5' end to the 3' end of the genome. Our study has overcome this limitation. We synthesized full-length genomes with few to several random mutations in the background of an HCV clone that can recapitulate all steps of the life cycle. Our study provides evidence of the capability of the HCV genome to overcome deleterious mutations and remain viable. Mutants that emerged from the libraries had diverse phenotype profiles compared to the parent, and putative adaptive mutations mapped to segments of the conserved nonstructural genome. We demonstrate the potential utility of our system for the study of sequence variation that ensures the survival and adaptation of HCV.
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19
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Hepatitis C Contamination of Medication Vials Accessed with Sterile Needles and Syringes. Anesthesiology 2019; 131:305-314. [PMID: 31166244 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000002772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health care-associated hepatitis C virus outbreaks from contaminated medication vials continue to be reported even though most practitioners deny reusing needles or syringes. The hypothesis was that when caring for hepatitis C virus-infected patients, healthcare providers may inadvertently contaminate the medication vial diaphragm and that subsequent access with sterile needles and syringes can transfer hepatitis C virus into the medication, where it remains stable in sufficient quantities to infect subsequent patients. METHODS A parallel-arm lab study (n = 9) was performed in which contamination of medication vials in healthcare settings was simulated using cell culture-derived hepatitis C virus. First, surface-contaminated vials were accessed with sterile needles and syringes, and then hepatitis C virus contamination was assessed in cell culture. Second, after contaminating several medications with hepatitis C virus, viral infectivity over time was assessed. Last, surface-contaminated vial diaphragms were disinfected with 70% isopropyl alcohol to determine whether disinfection of the vial surface was sufficient to eliminate hepatitis C virus infectivity. RESULTS Contamination of medication vials with hepatitis C virus and subsequent access with sterile needles and syringes resulted in contamination of the vial contents in sufficient quantities to initiate an infection in cell culture. Hepatitis C virus remained viable for several days in several commonly used medications. Finally, a single or 2- to 3-s wipe of the vial diaphragm with 70% isopropyl alcohol was not sufficient to eliminate hepatitis C virus infectivity. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis C virus can be transferred into commonly used medications when using sterile single-use needles and syringes where it remains viable for several days. Furthermore, cleaning the vial diaphragm with 70% isopropyl alcohol is not sufficient to eliminate the risk of hepatitis C virus infectivity. This highlights the potential risks associated with sharing medications between patients.
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20
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Chahal J, Gebert LF, Gan HH, Camacho E, Gunsalus KC, MacRae IJ, Sagan SM. miR-122 and Ago interactions with the HCV genome alter the structure of the viral 5' terminus. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:5307-5324. [PMID: 30941417 PMCID: PMC6547439 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-sense RNA virus that interacts with the liver-specific microRNA, miR-122. miR-122 binds to two sites in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) and this interaction promotes HCV RNA accumulation, although the precise role of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle remains unclear. Using biophysical analyses and Selective 2′ Hydroxyl Acylation analyzed by Primer Extension (SHAPE) we investigated miR-122 interactions with the 5′ UTR. Our data suggests that miR-122 binding results in alteration of nucleotides 1–117 to suppress an alternative secondary structure and promote functional internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) formation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that two hAgo2:miR-122 complexes are able to bind to the HCV 5′ terminus simultaneously and SHAPE analyses revealed further alterations to the structure of the 5′ UTR to accommodate these complexes. Finally, we present a computational model of the hAgo2:miR-122:HCV RNA complex at the 5′ terminus of the viral genome as well as hAgo2:miR-122 interactions with the IRES–40S complex that suggest hAgo2 is likely to form additional interactions with SLII which may further stabilize the HCV IRES. Taken together, our results support a model whereby hAgo2:miR-122 complexes alter the structure of the viral 5′ terminus and promote formation of the HCV IRES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Chahal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Luca F R Gebert
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Hin Hark Gan
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Edna Camacho
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Kristin C Gunsalus
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Division of Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Ian J MacRae
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Selena M Sagan
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 514 398 8110; Fax: +1 514 398 7052;
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21
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A Recombinant Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1a E1/E2 Envelope Glycoprotein Vaccine Elicits Antibodies That Differentially Neutralize Closely Related 2a Strains through Interactions of the N-Terminal Hypervariable Region 1 of E2 with Scavenger Receptor B1. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.00810-19. [PMID: 31462563 PMCID: PMC6819942 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00810-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A vaccine is still urgently needed to overcome the hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic. It is estimated that 1.75 million new HCV infections occur each year, many of which will go undiagnosed and untreated. Untreated HCV can lead to continued spread of the disease, progressive liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventually, end-stage liver disease and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previously, our 1a E1/E2 glycoprotein vaccine was shown to elicit broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies; however, there remains variation in the effectiveness of these antibodies against different HCV genotypes. In this study, we investigated determinants of differential neutralization sensitivity between two highly related genotype 2a isolates, J6 and JFH-1. Our data indicate that the HVR1 region determines neutralization sensitivity to vaccine antisera through modulation of sensitivity to antibodies and interactions with SR-B1. Our results provide additional insight into optimizing a broadly neutralizing HCV vaccine. The global health burden for hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains high, despite available effective treatments. To eliminate HCV, a prophylactic vaccine is needed. One major challenge in the development of a vaccine is the genetic diversity of the virus, with 7 major genotypes and many subtypes. A global vaccine must be effective against all HCV genotypes. Our previous data showed that the 1a E1/E2 glycoprotein vaccine component elicits broad cross-neutralizing antibodies in humans and animals. However, some variation is seen in the effectiveness of these antibodies to neutralize different HCV genotypes and isolates. Of interest was the differences in neutralizing activity against two closely related isolates of HCV genotype 2a, the J6 and JFH-1 strains. Using site-directed mutagenesis to generate chimeric viruses between the J6 and JFH-1 strains, we found that variant amino acids within the core E2 glycoprotein domain of these two HCV genotype 2a viruses do not influence isolate-specific neutralization. Further analysis revealed that the N-terminal hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of the E2 protein determines the sensitivity of isolate-specific neutralization, and the HVR1 of the resistant J6 strain binds scavenger receptor class-B type-1 (SR-B1), while the sensitive JFH-1 strain does not. Our data provide new information on mechanisms of isolate-specific neutralization to facilitate the optimization of a much-needed HCV vaccine. IMPORTANCE A vaccine is still urgently needed to overcome the hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic. It is estimated that 1.75 million new HCV infections occur each year, many of which will go undiagnosed and untreated. Untreated HCV can lead to continued spread of the disease, progressive liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and eventually, end-stage liver disease and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previously, our 1a E1/E2 glycoprotein vaccine was shown to elicit broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies; however, there remains variation in the effectiveness of these antibodies against different HCV genotypes. In this study, we investigated determinants of differential neutralization sensitivity between two highly related genotype 2a isolates, J6 and JFH-1. Our data indicate that the HVR1 region determines neutralization sensitivity to vaccine antisera through modulation of sensitivity to antibodies and interactions with SR-B1. Our results provide additional insight into optimizing a broadly neutralizing HCV vaccine.
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22
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Jensen SB, Fahnøe U, Pham LV, Serre SBN, Tang Q, Ghanem L, Pedersen MS, Ramirez S, Humes D, Pihl AF, Filskov J, Sølund CS, Dietz J, Fourati S, Pawlotsky J, Sarrazin C, Weis N, Schønning K, Krarup H, Bukh J, Gottwein JM. Evolutionary Pathways to Persistence of Highly Fit and Resistant Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitor Escape Variants. Hepatology 2019; 70:771-787. [PMID: 30964552 PMCID: PMC6772116 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Protease inhibitors (PIs) are important components of treatment regimens for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, emergence and persistence of antiviral resistance could reduce their efficacy. Thus, defining resistance determinants is highly relevant for efforts to control HCV. Here, we investigated patterns of PI resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) for the major HCV genotypes and viral determinants for persistence of key RASs. We identified protease position 156 as a RAS hotspot for genotype 1-4, but not 5 and 6, escape variants by resistance profiling using PIs grazoprevir and paritaprevir in infectious cell culture systems. However, except for genotype 3, engineered 156-RASs were not maintained. For genotypes 1 and 2, persistence of 156-RASs depended on genome-wide substitution networks, co-selected under continued PI treatment and identified by next-generation sequencing with substitution linkage and haplotype reconstruction. Persistence of A156T for genotype 1 relied on compensatory substitutions increasing replication and assembly. For genotype 2, initial selection of A156V facilitated transition to 156L, persisting without compensatory substitutions. The developed genotype 1, 2, and 3 variants with persistent 156-RASs had exceptionally high fitness and resistance to grazoprevir, paritaprevir, glecaprevir, and voxilaprevir. A156T dominated in genotype 1 glecaprevir and voxilaprevir escape variants, and pre-existing A156T facilitated genotype 1 escape from clinically relevant combination treatments with grazoprevir/elbasvir and glecaprevir/pibrentasvir. In genotype 1 infected patients with treatment failure and 156-RASs, we observed genome-wide selection of substitutions under treatment. Conclusion: Comprehensive PI resistance profiling for HCV genotypes 1-6 revealed 156-RASs as key determinants of high-level resistance across clinically relevant PIs. We obtained in vitro proof of concept for persistence of highly fit genotype 1-3 156-variants, which might pose a threat to clinically relevant combination treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Brun Jensen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Ulrik Fahnøe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Long V. Pham
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Stéphanie Brigitte Nelly Serre
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Qi Tang
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Lubna Ghanem
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Martin Schou Pedersen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Clinical MicrobiologyCopenhagen University HospitalHvidovreDenmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Daryl Humes
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Anne Finne Pihl
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Jonathan Filskov
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Christina Søhoel Sølund
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Infectious DiseasesCopenhagen University HospitalHvidovreDenmark
| | - Julia Dietz
- Department of Internal Medicine 1University Hospital Frankfurt, and German Center for Infection Research, External Partner SiteFrankfurtGermany
| | - Slim Fourati
- National Reference Center for Viral Hepatitis B, C and D, Department of VirologyHenri Mondor Hospital, University of Paris‐Est, and INSERM U955CréteilFrance
| | - Jean‐Michel Pawlotsky
- National Reference Center for Viral Hepatitis B, C and D, Department of VirologyHenri Mondor Hospital, University of Paris‐Est, and INSERM U955CréteilFrance
| | - Christoph Sarrazin
- Department of Internal Medicine 1University Hospital Frankfurt, and German Center for Infection Research, External Partner SiteFrankfurtGermany
- Medizinische Klinik II, St. Josefs‐HospitalWiesbadenGermany
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious DiseasesCopenhagen University HospitalHvidovreDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Kristian Schønning
- Department of Clinical MicrobiologyCopenhagen University HospitalHvidovreDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Henrik Krarup
- Department of Molecular DiagnosticsAalborg University HospitalAalborgDenmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Judith Margarete Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO‐HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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23
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Amador-Cañizares Y, Bernier A, Wilson JA, Sagan SM. miR-122 does not impact recognition of the HCV genome by innate sensors of RNA but rather protects the 5' end from the cellular pyrophosphatases, DOM3Z and DUSP11. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:5139-5158. [PMID: 29672716 PMCID: PMC6007490 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recruits two molecules of the liver-specific microRNA-122 (miR-122) to the 5′ end of its genome. This interaction promotes viral RNA accumulation, but the precise mechanism(s) remain incompletely understood. Previous studies suggest that miR-122 is able to protect the HCV genome from 5′ exonucleases (Xrn1/2), but this protection is not sufficient to account for the effect of miR-122 on HCV RNA accumulation. Thus, we investigated whether miR-122 was also able to protect the viral genome from innate sensors of RNA or cellular pyrophosphatases. We found that miR-122 does not play a protective role against recognition by PKR, RIG-I-like receptors, or IFITs 1 and 5. However, we found that knockdown of both the cellular pyrophosphatases, DOM3Z and DUSP11, was able to rescue viral RNA accumulation of subgenomic replicons in the absence of miR-122. Nevertheless, pyrophosphatase knockdown increased but did not restore viral RNA accumulation of full-length HCV RNA in miR-122 knockout cells, suggesting that miR-122 likely plays an additional role(s) in the HCV life cycle, beyond 5′ end protection. Overall, our results support a model in which miR-122 stabilizes the HCV genome by shielding its 5′ terminus from cellular pyrophosphatase activity and subsequent turnover by exonucleases (Xrn1/2).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annie Bernier
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Joyce A Wilson
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Selena M Sagan
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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24
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USP15 Participates in Hepatitis C Virus Propagation through Regulation of Viral RNA Translation and Lipid Droplet Formation. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.01708-18. [PMID: 30626683 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01708-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) utilizes cellular factors for efficient propagation. Ubiquitin is covalently conjugated to the substrate to alter its stability or to modulate signal transduction. In this study, we examined the importance of ubiquitination for HCV propagation. We found that inhibition of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) or overexpression of nonspecific DUBs impaired HCV replication, suggesting that ubiquitination regulates HCV replication. To identify specific DUBs involved in HCV propagation, we set up RNA interference (RNAi) screening against DUBs and successfully identified ubiquitin-specific protease 15 (USP15) as a novel host factor for HCV propagation. Our studies showed that USP15 is involved in translation of HCV RNA and production of infectious HCV particles. In addition, deficiency of USP15 in human hepatic cell lines (Huh7 and Hep3B/miR-122 cells) but not in a nonhepatic cell line (293T cells) impaired HCV propagation, suggesting that USP15 participates in HCV propagation through the regulation of hepatocyte-specific functions. Moreover, we showed that loss of USP15 had no effect on innate immune responses in vitro and in vivo We also found that USP15-deficient Huh7 cells showed reductions in the amounts of lipid droplets (LDs), and the addition of palmitic acids restored the production of infectious HCV particles. Taken together, these data suggest that USP15 participates in HCV propagation by regulating the translation of HCV RNA and the formation of LDs.IMPORTANCE Although ubiquitination has been shown to play important roles in the HCV life cycle, the roles of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which cleave ubiquitin chains from their substrates, in HCV propagation have not been investigated. Here, we identified USP15 as a DUB regulating HCV propagation. USP15 showed no interaction with viral proteins and no participation in innate immune responses. Deficiency of USP15 in Huh7 cells resulted in suppression of the translation of HCV RNA and reduction in the amounts of lipid droplets, and the addition of fatty acids partially restored the production of infectious HCV particles. These data suggest that USP15 participates in HCV propagation in hepatic cells through the regulation of viral RNA translation and lipid metabolism.
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25
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Bernier A, Sagan SM. Beyond sites 1 and 2, miR-122 target sites in the HCV genome have negligible contributions to HCV RNA accumulation in cell culture. J Gen Virol 2019; 100:217-226. [PMID: 30652963 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recruits two molecules of the liver-specific microRNA-122 (miR-122) to two adjacent sites (S1 and S2) located at the 5' end of the viral RNA genome. This interaction promotes HCV RNA accumulation by stabilising the viral RNA and resulting in alteration of the secondary structure of the viral genome. In addition to S1 and S2, the HCV genome contains several other putative miR-122 binding sites, one in the IRES region, three in the NS5B coding region, and one in the 3' UTR. We investigated and compared the relative contributions of the S1, S2, IRES, NS5B (NS5B.1, 2 and 3) and 3' UTR sites on protein expression, viral RNA accumulation, and infectious particle production by mutational analysis and supplementation with compensatory mutant miR-122 molecules. We found that mutations predicted to alter miR-122 binding at the IRES and NS5B.2 sites lead to reductions in HCV core protein expression and viral RNA accumulation; with a concomitant decrease in viral particle production for the NS5B.2 mutant. However, supplementation of miR-122 molecules with compensatory mutations did not rescue these site mutants to wild-type levels, suggesting that mutation of these sequences likely disrupts an additional interaction important to the HCV life cycle, beyond direct interactions with miR-122. Thus, S1 and S2 play a predominant role in viral RNA accumulation, while miR-122 interactions with the IRES, NS5B and 3' UTR regions have negligible contributions to viral protein expression, viral RNA accumulation, and infectious particle production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Bernier
- 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Selena M Sagan
- 2Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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26
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Similarities and Differences Between HCV Pseudoparticle (HCVpp) and Cell Culture HCV (HCVcc) in the Study of HCV. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1911:33-45. [PMID: 30593616 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8976-8_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
For a long time, the study of the HCV infectious cycle has been a major challenge for researchers because of the difficulties in generating an efficient cell culture system leading to a productive viral infection. The development of HCVpp and later on HCVcc model allowing for functional studies of HCV in cell culture completely revolutionized HCV research. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the development of these two models. We describe the advantages of each model as well as their limitations in the study of the HCV life cycle, with a particular emphasis on virus entry. A comparison between these two models is presented in terms of virion composition and their use as tools for the characterization of entry factors, envelope glycoprotein functions, and antibody neutralization. We also compare the production and biosafety level of these two types of viral particles. Globally, this review provides a general description of the most adequate applications for HCVpp and HCVcc in HCV research.
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27
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Chen M, Zheng F, Yuan G, Duan X, Rong L, Liu J, Feng S, Wang Z, Wang M, Feng Y, Zhou Q, Li J, Deng K, Li C, Xia J, Rao G, Zhou Y, Fu Y, Li YP. Development of an Infectious Cell Culture System for Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 6a Clinical Isolate Using a Novel Strategy and Its Sensitivity to Direct-Acting Antivirals. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2950. [PMID: 30564209 PMCID: PMC6288186 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is classified into seven major genotypes, and genotype 6 is commonly prevalent in Asia, thus reverse genetic system representing genotype 6 isolates in prevalence is required. Here, we developed an infectious clone for a Chinese HCV 6a isolate (CH6a) using a novel strategy. We determined CH6a consensus sequence from patient serum and assembled a CH6a full-length (CH6aFL) cDNA using overlapped PCR product-derived clones that shared the highest homology with the consensus. CH6aFL was non-infectious in hepatoma Huh7.5 cells. Next, we constructed recombinants containing Core-NS5A or 5′UTR-NS5A from CH6a and the remaining sequences from JFH1 (genotype 2a), and both were engineered with 7 mutations identified previously. However, they replicated inefficiently without virus spread in Huh7.5 cells. Addition of adaptive mutations from CH6a Core-NS2 recombinant, with JFH1 5′UTR and NS3-3′UTR, enhanced the viability of Core-NS5A recombinant and acquired replication-enhancing mutations. Combination of 22 mutations in CH6a recombinant with JFH1 5′UTR and 3′UTR (CH6aORF) enabled virus replication and recovered additional four mutations. Adding these four mutations, we generated two efficient recombinants containing 26 mutations (26m), CH6aORF_26m and CH6aFL_26m (designated “CH6acc”), releasing HCV of 104.3–104.5 focus-forming units (FFU)/ml in Huh7.5.1-VISI-mCherry and Huh7.5 cells. Seven newly identified mutations were important for HCV replication, assembly, and release. The CH6aORF_26m virus was inhibited in a dose- and genotype-dependent manner by direct-acting-antivirals targeting NS3/4A, NS5A, and NS5B. The CH6acc enriches the toolbox of HCV culture systems, and the strategy and mutations applied here will facilitate the culture development of other HCV isolates and related viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxiao Chen
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fuxiang Zheng
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guosheng Yuan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaobing Duan
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Rong
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junwei Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shengjun Feng
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziting Wang
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Wang
- Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yetong Feng
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qing Zhou
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinqian Li
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Deng
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunna Li
- Program of Pathobiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Jinyu Xia
- Program of Pathobiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Guirong Rao
- Key Laboratory of Liver Disease, Center of Infectious Diseases, PLA 458 Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanping Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Yi-Ping Li
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Program of Pathobiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, China
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Shaw TA, Singaravelu R, Powdrill MH, Nhan J, Ahmed N, Özcelik D, Pezacki JP. MicroRNA-124 Regulates Fatty Acid and Triglyceride Homeostasis. iScience 2018; 10:149-157. [PMID: 30528902 PMCID: PMC6282456 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are part of a complex regulatory network that modulates cellular lipid metabolism. Here, we identify miR-124 as a regulator of triglyceride (TG) metabolism. This study advances our knowledge of the role of miR-124 in human hepatoma cells. Transcriptional profiling of Huh7.5 cells overexpressing miR-124 reveals enrichment for host factors involved in fatty acid oxidation among repressed miRNA targets. In addition, miR-124 down-regulates arylacetamide deacetylase (AADAC) and adipose triglyceride lipase, lipases proposed to mediate breakdown of hepatic TG stores for lipoprotein assembly and mitochondrial β-oxidation. Consistent with the inhibition of TG and fatty acid catabolism, miR-124 expression promotes cellular TG accumulation. Interestingly, miR-124 inhibits the production of hepatitis C virus, a virus that hijacks lipid pathways during its life cycle. Antiviral activity of miR-124 is consistent with repression of AADAC, a pro-viral host factor. Overall, our data highlight miR-124 as a novel regulator of TG metabolism in human hepatoma cells. miR-124 regulates triglyceride and fatty acid metabolism miR-124 represses genes associated with fatty acid and triglyceride breakdown miR-124 promotes triglyceride accumulation in hepatoma cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler A Shaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Megan H Powdrill
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Jordan Nhan
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Nadine Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Dennis Özcelik
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - John Paul Pezacki
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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29
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Duan X, Anwar MI, Xu Z, Ma L, Yuan G, Chen Y, Liu X, Xia J, Zhou Y, Li YP. Adaptive mutation F772S-enhanced p7-NS4A cooperation facilitates the assembly and release of hepatitis C virus and is associated with lipid droplet enlargement. Emerg Microbes Infect 2018; 7:143. [PMID: 30087320 PMCID: PMC6081454 DOI: 10.1038/s41426-018-0140-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 06/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and liver cancer worldwide. Adaptive mutations play important roles in the development of the HCV replicon and its infectious clones. We and others have previously identified the p7 mutation F772S and the co-presence of NS4A mutations in infectious HCV full-length clones and chimeric recombinants. However, the underlying mechanism of F772S function remains incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the functional role of F772S using an efficient JFH1-based reporter virus with Core-NS2 from genotype 2a strain J6, and we designated J6-p7/JFH1-4A according to the strain origin of the p7 and NS4A sequences. We found that replacing JFH1-4A with J6-4A (wild-type or mutated NS4A) or genotype 2b J8-4A severely attenuated the viability of J6-p7/JFH1-4A. However, passage-recovered viruses that contained J6-p7 all acquired F772S. Introduction of F772S efficiently rescued the viral spread and infectivity titers of J6-p7/J6-4A, which reached the levels of the original J6-p7/JFH1-4A and led to a concomitant increase in RNA replication, assembly and release of viruses with J6-specific p7 and NS4A. These data suggest that an isolate-specific cooperation existed between p7 and NS4A. NS4A exchange- or substitution-mediated viral attenuation was attributed to the RNA sequence, and no p7-NS4A protein interaction was detected. Moreover, we found that F772S-enhanced p7-NS4A cooperation was associated with the enlargement of intracellular lipid droplets. This study therefore provides new insights into the mechanisms of adaptive mutations and facilitates studies on the HCV life cycle and virus–host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobing Duan
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Muhammad Ikram Anwar
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhanxue Xu
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Ling Ma
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Guosheng Yuan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yiyi Chen
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xi Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Jinyu Xia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Yuanping Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yi-Ping Li
- Institute of Human Virology and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China. .,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 501180, China. .,Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. .,Program in Pathobiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
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30
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Ramirez S, Bukh J. Current status and future development of infectious cell-culture models for the major genotypes of hepatitis C virus: Essential tools in testing of antivirals and emerging vaccine strategies. Antiviral Res 2018; 158:264-287. [PMID: 30059723 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we summarize the relevant scientific advances that led to the development of infectious cell culture systems for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with the corresponding challenges and successes. We also provide an overview of how these systems have contributed to the study of antiviral compounds and their relevance for the development of a much-needed vaccine against this major human pathogen. An efficient infectious system to study HCV in vitro, using human hepatoma derived cells, has only been available since 2005, and was limited to a single isolate, named JFH1, until 2012. Successive developments have been slow and cumbersome, as each available system has been the result of a systematic effort for discovering adaptive mutations conferring culture replication and propagation to patient consensus clones that are inherently non-viable in vitro. High genetic heterogeneity is a paramount characteristic of this virus, and as such, it should preferably be reflected in basic, translational, and clinical studies. The limited number of efficient viral culture systems, in the context of the vast genetic diversity of HCV, continues to represent a major hindrance for the study of this virus, posing a significant barrier towards studies of antivirals (particularly of resistance) and for advancing vaccine development. Intensive research efforts, driven by isolate-specific culture adaptation, have only led to efficient full-length infectious culture systems for a few strains of HCV genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 6. Hence research aimed at identifying novel strategies that will permit universal culture of HCV will be needed to further our understanding of this unique virus causing 400 thousand deaths annually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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31
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Shirasago Y, Fukazawa H, Aizaki H, Suzuki T, Suzuki T, Sugiyama K, Wakita T, Hanada K, Abe R, Fukasawa M. Thermostable hepatitis C virus JFH1-derived variant isolated by adaptation to Huh7.5.1 cells. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:1407-1417. [PMID: 30045785 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and propagation in cultured cells have mainly been investigated using the infectious clinical clone JFH1. However, its infectivity is not high enough for infection to be detected easily. In this study, we attempted to isolate HCV-JFH1 variants adapted to human hepatoma Huh7.5.1 cells. By performing serial passages of the wild-type HCV-JFH1 in Huh7.5.1 cells, we obtained a variant that was capable of inducing severe cytopathic effects and showed approximately 700-fold higher infectivity than the wild-type HCV-JFH1. Further, when highly permissive Huh7.5.1-8 cells were infected with this variant, viral particles were produced at >1011 copies ml-1, making this variant one of the most efficient HCV production systems. Two adaptive mutations were noted in the variant genome: a1994c (K74T) in the core protein region and t3014c (I414T) in the E2 protein region. Both mutations contributed to enhanced infectivity and their combination showed synergistic effects in this regard. An examination of recombinant viruses carrying K74T, I414T and K74T/I414T mutations revealed that none of the mutations had an effect on the steps after viral entry (genome replication, particle assembly and egress), but led to the viral infection becoming less dependent on scavenger receptor class B type I, changes of the infectious particles to a broader and lower range of densities, and enhanced thermal stability of the infectious viruses. Thus, this Huh7.5.1-adapted HCV-JFH1 variant with higher and stable infectivity should be a valuable tool for studying the molecular mechanisms behind the life cycle of HCV and for antiviral screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Shirasago
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidesuke Fukazawa
- 2Department of Chemotherapy and Mycoses, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideki Aizaki
- 3Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Suzuki
- 4Department of Infectious Diseases, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Takeru Suzuki
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,5Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Takaji Wakita
- 3Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Hanada
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Abe
- 7Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Fukasawa
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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32
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Humes D, Ramirez S, Jensen TB, Li YP, Gottwein JM, Bukh J. Recombinant hepatitis C virus genotype 5a infectious cell culture systems expressing minimal JFH1 NS5B sequences permit polymerase inhibitor studies. Virology 2018; 522:177-192. [PMID: 30032031 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The six major epidemiologically important hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes differ in global distribution and antiviral responses. Full-length infectious cell-culture adapted clones, the gold standard for HCV studies in vitro, are missing for genotypes 4 and 5. To address this challenge for genotype 5, we constructed a consensus full-length clone of strain SA13 (SA13fl), which was found non-viable in Huh7.5 cells. Step-wise adaptation of SA13fl-based recombinants, beginning with a virus encoding the NS5B-thumb domain and 3´UTR of JFH1 (SA13/JF372-X), resulted in a high-titer SA13 virus with only 41 JFH1-encoded NS5B-thumb residues (SA13/JF470-510cc); this required sixteen cell-culture adaptive substitutions within the SA13fl polyprotein and two 3´UTR-changes. SA13/JF372-X and SA13/JF470-510cc were equally sensitive to nucleoside polymerase inhibitors, including sofosbuvir, but showed differential sensitivity to inhibitors targeting the NS5B palm or thumb. SA13/JF470-510cc represents a model to elucidate the influence of HCV RNA elements on viral replication and map determinants of sensitivity to polymerase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daryl Humes
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tanja B Jensen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yi-Ping Li
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Judith M Gottwein
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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33
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Wang Q, Hagedorn C, Liu S. Adapted HCV JFH1 variant is capable of accommodating a large foreign gene insert and allows lower level HCV replication and viral production. Int J Biol Sci 2018; 14:1211-1220. [PMID: 30123070 PMCID: PMC6097470 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.27411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious HCV carrying reporter genes have further applications in understanding the HCV life cycle including replication, viral assembly and release. In this study, a full-length 3039bp LacZ gene was inserted into the derivative of JFH1-AM120 to develop an additional reporter virus. The results showed that the recombinant reporter virus JFH1-AM120-LacZ can replicate and produce lower titers of infectious virus. However, insertion of the LacZ gene in the C-terminal region of the NS5A in HCV JFH1-AM120-LacZ decreased viral replication and dramatically impaired the production of infectious viral particles. Moreover, the JFH1-AM120-LacZ reporter virus lost the LacZ gene after serial passage. Nevertheless, the JFH1-AM120-LacZ reporter virus displayed the entire life cycle of HCV, from replication to production of infectious virus, in Huh7.5 cells. This study demonstrates that the NS5A region of HCV JFH1-AM120 has the capacity to accommodate large foreign genes up to 3,039 bp and suggests that other relatively large gene inserts can be accommodated at this site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Wang
- Center of Liver Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.8 Jingshun East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100015
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA 84112, United States of America
| | - Curt Hagedorn
- The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, 4300 West 7 th St. 111/LR, Little Rock, AR USA 72205
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4300 West 7 th St. 111/LR, Little Rock, AR USA 72205
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA 84112, United States of America
| | - Shuanghu Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA 84112, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA 84112, United States of America
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Identification of nucleotides in the 5'UTR and amino acids substitutions that are essential for the infectivity of 5'UTR-NS5A recombinant of hepatitis C virus genotype 1b (strain Con1). Virology 2018; 518:253-263. [PMID: 29549787 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Genotype 1b strain Con1 represents an important reference in the study of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Here, we aimed to develop an advanced infectious Con1 recombinant. We found that previously identified mutations A1226G/F1464L/A1672S/Q1773H permitted culture adaption of Con1 Core-NS5A (C-5A) recombinant containing 5'UTR and NS5B-3'UTR from JFH1 (genotype 2a), thus acquired additional mutations L725H/F886L/D2415G. C-5A containing all seven mutations (C-5A_7m) replicated efficiently in Huh7.5 and Huh7.5.1 cells and had an increased infectivity in SEC14L2-expressing Huh7.5.1 cells. Incorporation of Con1 NS5B was deleterious to C-5A_7m, however Con1 5'UTR was permissive but attenuated the virus. Nucleotides G1, A4, and G35 primarily accounted for the viral attenuation without affecting RNA translation. C-5A_7m was inhibited dose-dependently by simeprevir and daclatasvir, and substitutions at A4, A29, A34, and G35 conferred resistance to miR-122 antagonism. The novel Con1 5'UTR-NS5A recombinant, adaptive mutations, and critical nucleotides described here will facilitate future studies of HCV culture systems and virus-host interaction.
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35
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Sekhar V, Pollicino T, Diaz G, Engle RE, Alayli F, Melis M, Kabat J, Tice A, Pomerenke A, Altan-Bonnet N, Zamboni F, Lusso P, Emerson SU, Farci P. Infection with hepatitis C virus depends on TACSTD2, a regulator of claudin-1 and occludin highly downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS Pathog 2018. [PMID: 29538454 PMCID: PMC5882150 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Entry of hepatitis C virus (HCV) into hepatocytes is a complex process that involves numerous cellular factors, including the scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1), the tetraspanin CD81, and the tight junction (TJ) proteins claudin-1 (CLDN1) and occludin (OCLN). Despite expression of all known HCV-entry factors, in vitro models based on hepatoma cell lines do not fully reproduce the in vivo susceptibility of liver cells to primary HCV isolates, implying the existence of additional host factors which are critical for HCV entry and/or replication. Likewise, HCV replication is severely impaired within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue in vivo, but the mechanisms responsible for this restriction are presently unknown. Here, we identify tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TACSTD2), one of the most downregulated genes in primary HCC tissue, as a host factor that interacts with CLDN1 and OCLN and regulates their cellular localization. TACSTD2 gene silencing disrupts the typical linear distribution of CLDN1 and OCLN along the cellular membrane in both hepatoma cells and primary human hepatocytes, recapitulating the pattern observed in vivo in primary HCC tissue. Mechanistic studies suggest that TACSTD2 is involved in the phosphorylation of CLDN1 and OCLN, which is required for their proper cellular localization. Silencing of TACSTD2 dramatically inhibits HCV infection with a pan-genotype effect that occurs at the level of viral entry. Our study identifies TACSTD2 as a novel regulator of two major HCV-entry factors, CLDN1 and OCLN, which is strongly downregulated in malignant hepatocytes. These results provide new insights into the complex process of HCV entry into hepatocytes and may assist in the development of more efficient cellular systems for HCV propagation in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Sekhar
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Teresa Pollicino
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Clinical and Molecular Hepatology, Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Giacomo Diaz
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ronald E. Engle
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Farah Alayli
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Marta Melis
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Juraj Kabat
- Biological Imaging Facility/Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ashley Tice
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anna Pomerenke
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nihal Altan-Bonnet
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Dynamics, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Fausto Zamboni
- Liver Transplantation Center, Brotzu Hospital, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Paolo Lusso
- Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Suzanne U. Emerson
- Molecular Hepatitis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Patrizia Farci
- Hepatic Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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36
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Zanini F, Pu SY, Bekerman E, Einav S, Quake SR. Single-cell transcriptional dynamics of flavivirus infection. eLife 2018; 7:32942. [PMID: 29451494 PMCID: PMC5826272 DOI: 10.7554/elife.32942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue and Zika viral infections affect millions of people annually and can be complicated by hemorrhage and shock or neurological manifestations, respectively. However, a thorough understanding of the host response to these viruses is lacking, partly because conventional approaches ignore heterogeneity in virus abundance across cells. We present viscRNA-Seq (virus-inclusive single cell RNA-Seq), an approach to probe the host transcriptome together with intracellular viral RNA at the single cell level. We applied viscRNA-Seq to monitor dengue and Zika virus infection in cultured cells and discovered extreme heterogeneity in virus abundance. We exploited this variation to identify host factors that show complex dynamics and a high degree of specificity for either virus, including proteins involved in the endoplasmic reticulum translocon, signal peptide processing, and membrane trafficking. We validated the viscRNA-Seq hits and discovered novel proviral and antiviral factors. viscRNA-Seq is a powerful approach to assess the genome-wide virus-host dynamics at single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Zanini
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Szu-Yuan Pu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Elena Bekerman
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Shirit Einav
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Stephen R Quake
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, United States
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37
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Singaravelu R, Quan C, Powdrill MH, Shaw TA, Srinivasan P, Lyn RK, Alonzi RC, Jones DM, Filip R, Russell RS, Pezacki JP. MicroRNA-7 mediates cross-talk between metabolic signaling pathways in the liver. Sci Rep 2018; 8:361. [PMID: 29321595 PMCID: PMC5762714 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18529-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of cellular metabolism. To characterise miRNAs crucial to the maintenance of hepatic lipid homeostasis, we examined the overlap between the miRNA signature associated with inhibition of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) signaling, a pathway regulating fatty acid metabolism, and the miRNA profile associated with 25-hydroxycholesterol treatment, an oxysterol regulator of sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) and liver X receptor (LXR) signaling. Using this strategy, we identified microRNA-7 (miR-7) as a PPAR-α regulated miRNA, which activates SREBP signaling and promotes hepatocellular lipid accumulation. This is mediated, in part, by suppression of the negative regulator of SREBP signaling: ERLIN2. miR-7 also regulates genes associated with PPAR signaling and sterol metabolism, including liver X receptor β (LXR-β), a transcriptional regulator of sterol synthesis, efflux, and excretion. Collectively, our findings highlight miR-7 as a novel mediator of cross-talk between PPAR, SREBP, and LXR signaling pathways in the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragunath Singaravelu
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Curtis Quan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Megan H Powdrill
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Tyler A Shaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Prashanth Srinivasan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Rodney K Lyn
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Rhea C Alonzi
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Daniel M Jones
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Roxana Filip
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Rodney S Russell
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - John P Pezacki
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada.
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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38
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Characterization of Recombinant Flaviviridae Viruses Possessing a Small Reporter Tag. J Virol 2018; 92:JVI.01582-17. [PMID: 29093094 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01582-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The family Flaviviridae consists of four genera, Flavivirus, Pestivirus, Pegivirus, and Hepacivirus, and comprises important pathogens of human and animals. Although the construction of recombinant viruses carrying reporter genes encoding fluorescent and bioluminescent proteins has been reported, the stable insertion of foreign genes into viral genomes retaining infectivity remains difficult. Here, we applied the 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase to the engineering of the Flaviviridae viruses and then examined the biological characteristics of the viruses. We successfully generated recombinant viruses carrying the split-luciferase gene, including dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and bovine viral diarrhea virus. The stability of the viruses was confirmed by five rounds of serial passages in the respective susceptible cell lines. The propagation of the recombinant luciferase viruses in each cell line was comparable to that of the parental viruses. By using a purified counterpart luciferase protein, this split-luciferase assay can be applicable in various cell lines, even when it is difficult to transduce the counterpart gene. The efficacy of antiviral reagents against the recombinant viruses could be monitored by the reduction of luciferase expression, which was correlated with that of viral RNA, and the recombinant HCV was also useful to examine viral dynamics in vivo Taken together, our findings indicate that the recombinant Flaviviridae viruses possessing the split NanoLuc luciferase gene generated here provide powerful tools to understand viral life cycle and pathogenesis and a robust platform to develop novel antivirals against Flaviviridae viruses.IMPORTANCE The construction of reporter viruses possessing a stable transgene capable of expressing specific signals is crucial to investigations of viral life cycle and pathogenesis and the development of antivirals. However, it is difficult to maintain the stability of a large foreign gene, such as those for fluorescence and bioluminescence, after insertion into a viral genome. Here, we successfully generated recombinant Flaviviridae viruses carrying the 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase and demonstrated that these viruses are applicable to in vitro and in vivo experiments, suggesting that these recombinant Flaviviridae viruses are powerful tools for increasing our understanding of viral life cycle and pathogenesis and that these recombinant viruses will provide a robust platform to develop antivirals against Flaviviridae viruses.
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Hirano J, Okamoto T, Sugiyama Y, Suzuki T, Kusakabe S, Tokunaga M, Fukuhara T, Sasai M, Tougan T, Matsunaga Y, Yamashita K, Sakai Y, Yamamoto M, Horii T, Standley DM, Moriishi K, Moriya K, Koike K, Matsuura Y. Characterization of SPP inhibitors suppressing propagation of HCV and protozoa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10782-E10791. [PMID: 29187532 PMCID: PMC5740650 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1712484114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Signal peptide peptidase (SPP) is an intramembrane aspartic protease involved in the maturation of the core protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The processing of HCV core protein by SPP has been reported to be critical for the propagation and pathogenesis of HCV. Here we examined the inhibitory activity of inhibitors for γ-secretase, another intramembrane cleaving protease, against SPP, and our findings revealed that the dibenzoazepine-type structure in the γ-secretase inhibitors is critical for the inhibition of SPP. The spatial distribution showed that the γ-secretase inhibitor compound YO-01027 with the dibenzoazepine structure exhibits potent inhibiting activity against SPP in vitro and in vivo through the interaction of Val223 in SPP. Treatment with this SPP inhibitor suppressed the maturation of core proteins of all HCV genotypes without the emergence of drug-resistant viruses, in contrast to the treatment with direct-acting antivirals. YO-01027 also efficiently inhibited the propagation of protozoa such as Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii These data suggest that SPP is an ideal target for the development of therapeutics not only against chronic hepatitis C but also against protozoiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junki Hirano
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Toru Okamoto
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;
| | - Yukari Sugiyama
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Suzuki
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shinji Kusakabe
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Makoto Tokunaga
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takasuke Fukuhara
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Miwa Sasai
- Department of Immunoparasitology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tougan
- Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yasue Matsunaga
- Planning and Promotion Office for University-Industry Collaboration, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | | | - Yusuke Sakai
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 753-0841, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamamoto
- Department of Immunoparasitology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Horii
- Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Daron M Standley
- Department of Genome Informatics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kohji Moriishi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan
| | - Kyoji Moriya
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Koike
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;
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40
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Liu CH, Lin CC, Hsu WC, Chung CY, Lin CC, Jassey A, Chang SP, Tai CJ, Tai CJ, Shields J, Richardson CD, Yen MH, Tyrrell DLJ, Lin LT. Highly bioavailable silibinin nanoparticles inhibit HCV infection. Gut 2017; 66:1853-1861. [PMID: 27436270 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-312019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Silibinin is a flavonolignan that is well established for its robust antiviral activity against HCV infection and has undergone several clinical trials for the management of hepatitis C. Despite its potency, silibinin suffers from poor solubility and bioavailability, restricting its clinical use. To overcome this limitation, we developed highly bioavailable silibinin nanoparticles (SB-NPs) and evaluated their efficiency against HCV infection. DESIGN SB-NPs were prepared using a nanoemulsification technique and were physicochemically characterised. Infectious HCV culture systems were used to evaluate the influence of SB-NP on the virus life cycle and examine their antioxidant activity against HCV-induced oxidative stress. The safety profiles of SB-NP, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies and antiviral activity against infection of primary human hepatocytes were also assessed. RESULTS SB-NP consisted of nanoscale spherical particles (<200 nm) encapsulating amorphous silibinin at >97% efficiency and increasing the compound's solubility by >75%. Treatment with SB-NP efficiently restricted HCV cell-to-cell transmission, suggesting that they retained silibinin's robust anti-HCV activity. In addition, SB-NP exerted an antioxidant effect via their free radical scavenging function. Oral administration of SB-NP in rodents produced no apparent in vivo toxicity, and pharmacokinetic studies revealed an enhanced serum level and superior biodistribution to the liver compared with non-modified silibinin. Finally, SB-NP efficiently reduced HCV infection of primary human hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS Due to SB-NP's enhanced bioavailability, effective anti-HCV activity and an overall hepatoprotective effect, we suggest that SB-NP may be a cost-effective anti-HCV agent that merits further evaluation for the treatment of hepatitis C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Hsuan Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Ching Lin
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chan Hsu
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chueh-Yao Chung
- Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chan Lin
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Alagie Jassey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Pang Chang
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Jei Tai
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Jeng Tai
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Justin Shields
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Christopher D Richardson
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics and Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Ming-Hong Yen
- Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | | | - Liang-Tzung Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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41
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Grigorov B, Molle J, Rubinstein E, Zoulim F, Bartosch B. CD81 large extracellular loop-containing fusion proteins with a dominant negative effect on HCV cell spread and replication. J Gen Virol 2017; 98:1646-1657. [PMID: 28721844 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The roles of CD81 in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle are multiple but remain ill characterized. CD81 is known to interact with the HCV glycoproteins as an attachment factor. It also has an important role in the post-attachment entry process. Its interaction with claudin-1, for example, is vital for viral uptake and trafficking. Furthermore, CD81 and its role in membrane organization and trafficking are thought to play a pivotal role in HCV replication. Some of these functions are particularly limited to human CD81; others can be substituted with CD81 molecules from other species. However, with the exception of the large extracellular loop sequence, the structure-function analysis of CD81 in the HCV infectious cycle remains ill characterized. We describe here the fusion molecules between the large extracellular loops of human or mouse CD81 and lipid-raft-associated or unassociated GPI anchors. These fusion molecules have strong antiviral activity in a dominant negative fashion, independent of membrane raft association. Their expression in the hepatoma cell line Huh7.5 blocks HCV uptake, transmission and replication. These molecules will be useful to decipher the various roles of CD81 in the HCV life cycle and transmission in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyan Grigorov
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, 69434 Lyon, France
| | - Jennifer Molle
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, 69434 Lyon, France
| | | | - Fabien Zoulim
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, 69434 Lyon, France.,Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL), Lyon, France
| | - Birke Bartosch
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, 69434 Lyon, France
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42
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Sarhan MA, Abdel-Hakeem MS, Mason AL, Tyrrell DL, Houghton M. Glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitors prevent hepatitis C virus release/assembly through perturbation of lipid metabolism. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2495. [PMID: 28566716 PMCID: PMC5451429 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02648-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct acting antivirals against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have markedly improved cure rates in the past few years. However, they are expensive, with only few targeting host cell factors, and affecting virus assembly and release. Huh7.5 cells infected with a JFH-1 clone of HCV were treated with two different glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3)-β inhibitors; AR-A014418 and lithium chloride. Intra- and extracellular HCV virions and specific infectivity was determined using real-time RT-PCR and TCID50, and changes in lipid production were identified by enzyme-linked immunoassay and mass spectrometry analyses. Similarly, effect on two HCV replicon cells were identified by the luciferase activity. Although there was limited effect on virus replication in Huh7.5 cells and replicons, Huh7.5 cells treated with GSK3β inhibitors produced significantly less viral particles in comparison to untreated cells. In addition, the treated cells synthesized significantly lower amounts of ApoB and trapped the ApoE lipoproteins in the cells. In conclusion, our study suggests that GSK3β plays a pivotal role in HCV virion assembly and release mediated in part through inhibition of apolipoprotein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed A Sarhan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. .,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt. .,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Mohamed S Abdel-Hakeem
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Andrew L Mason
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - D Lorne Tyrrell
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Michael Houghton
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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43
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Ono C, Fukuhara T, Motooka D, Nakamura S, Okuzaki D, Yamamoto S, Tamura T, Mori H, Sato A, Uemura K, Fauzyah Y, Kurihara T, Suda T, Nishio A, Hmwe SS, Okamoto T, Tatsumi T, Takehara T, Chayama K, Wakita T, Koike K, Matsuura Y. Characterization of miR-122-independent propagation of HCV. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006374. [PMID: 28494029 PMCID: PMC5441651 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
miR-122, a liver-specific microRNA, is one of the determinants for liver tropism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although miR-122 is required for efficient propagation of HCV, we have previously shown that HCV replicates at a low rate in miR-122-deficient cells, suggesting that HCV-RNA is capable of propagating in an miR-122-independent manner. We herein investigated the roles of miR-122 in both the replication of HCV-RNA and the production of infectious particles by using miR-122-knockout Huh7 (Huh7-122KO) cells. A slight increase of intracellular HCV-RNA levels and infectious titers in the culture supernatants was observed in Huh7-122KO cells upon infection with HCV. Moreover, after serial passages of HCV in miR-122-knockout Huh7.5.1 cells, we obtained an adaptive mutant, HCV122KO, possessing G28A substitution in the 5’UTR of the HCV genotype 2a JFH1 genome, and this mutant may help to enhance replication complex formation, a possibility supported by polysome analysis. We also found the introduction of adaptive mutation around miR-122 binding site in the genotype 1b/2a chimeric virus, which originally had an adenine at the nucleotide position 29. HCV122KO exhibited efficient RNA replication in miR-122-knockout cells and non-hepatic cells without exogenous expression of miR-122. Competition assay revealed that the G28A mutant was dominant in the absence of miR-122, but its effects were equivalent to those of the wild type in the presence of miR-122, suggesting that the G28A mutation does not confer an advantage for propagation in miR-122-rich hepatocytes. These observations may explain the clinical finding that the positive rate of G28A mutation was higher in miR-122-deficient PBMCs than in the patient serum, which mainly included the hepatocyte-derived virus from HCV-genotype-2a patients. These results suggest that the emergence of HCV mutants that can propagate in non-hepatic cells in an miR-122-independent manner may participate in the induction of extrahepatic manifestations in chronic hepatitis C patients. A liver-specific microRNA, miR-122, is one of the key determinants of hepatitis C virus (HCV) hepatotropism and is required for efficient propagation of HCV. On the other hand, chronic infection with HCV is often associated with extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs), and a low level of HCV-RNA replication has been detected in some non-hepatic cells. Nonetheless, the detailed mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain unknown. Here, we show that miR-122 is dispensable for low-level replication or infectious particle formation, and a mutant virus adapted to miR-122-knockout cells exhibited efficient but miR-122-independent propagation. The adaptive virus of HCV genotype 2a possessed a G28A substitution in the 5’UTR and facilitated efficient replication complex formation under an miR-122-deficient condition, while it propagated at a level comparable to the wild type HCV in the presence of miR-122. Moreover, various adaptive mutations including C30U were introduced into genotype 1b, which originally had an adenine at the nucleotide position 29. These observations suggest that substitutions that yield miR-122-independent propagation are not induced during propagation in hepatocytes; however, treatment with an miR-122 inhibitor or persistent infection of HCV in non-hepatic cells may induce the emergence of mutant viruses, as evidenced by clinical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chikako Ono
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takasuke Fukuhara
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shota Nakamura
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Okuzaki
- DNA-Chip Developmental Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satomi Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Tamura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mori
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Asuka Sato
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kentaro Uemura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuzy Fauzyah
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kurihara
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takahiro Suda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Akira Nishio
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Su Su Hmwe
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toru Okamoto
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tatsumi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Takehara
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chayama
- Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Takaji Wakita
- Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Koike
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
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44
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Internal Disequilibria and Phenotypic Diversification during Replication of Hepatitis C Virus in a Noncoevolving Cellular Environment. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.02505-16. [PMID: 28275194 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02505-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral quasispecies evolution upon long-term virus replication in a noncoevolving cellular environment raises relevant general issues, such as the attainment of population equilibrium, compliance with the molecular-clock hypothesis, or stability of the phenotypic profile. Here, we evaluate the adaptation, mutant spectrum dynamics, and phenotypic diversification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the course of 200 passages in human hepatoma cells in an experimental design that precluded coevolution of the cells with the virus. Adaptation to the cells was evidenced by increase in progeny production. The rate of accumulation of mutations in the genomic consensus sequence deviated slightly from linearity, and mutant spectrum analyses revealed a complex dynamic of mutational waves, which was sustained beyond passage 100. The virus underwent several phenotypic changes, some of which impacted the virus-host relationship, such as enhanced cell killing, a shift toward higher virion density, and increased shutoff of host cell protein synthesis. Fluctuations in progeny production and failure to reach population equilibrium at the genomic level suggest internal instabilities that anticipate an unpredictable HCV evolution in the complex liver environment.IMPORTANCE Long-term virus evolution in an unperturbed cellular environment can reveal features of virus evolution that cannot be explained by comparing natural viral isolates. In the present study, we investigate genetic and phenotypic changes that occur upon prolonged passage of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human hepatoma cells in an experimental design in which host cell evolutionary change is prevented. Despite replication in a noncoevolving cellular environment, the virus exhibited internal population disequilibria that did not decline with increased adaptation to the host cells. The diversification of phenotypic traits suggests that disequilibria inherent to viral populations may provide a selective advantage to viruses that can be fully exploited in changing environments.
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45
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A Novel Inhibitor IDPP Interferes with Entry and Egress of HCV by Targeting Glycoprotein E1 in a Genotype-Specific Manner. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44676. [PMID: 28333153 PMCID: PMC5363083 DOI: 10.1038/srep44676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advances in curing chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the high economic burden to therapy, viral drug resistance, difficult to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and patient groups are still of concern. To address this unmet medical needs, we devised strategies to identify novel viral interventions through target-free high-throughput screening of small molecules utilizing a phenotypic-based HCV infection assay. Thereby, a very potent (EC50 46 ± 26 pM) iminodipyridinopyrimidine (IDPP) drug candidate was selected, and confirmed in primary human hepatocytes (EC50 0.5 nM). IDPP mainly targets a post-attachment step of HCV without affecting endosomal acidification, prevents the secretion of infectious particles and viral cell-to-cell spread. The putative molecular target of IDPP is glycoprotein E1, as revealed by selection for viral drug resistance (Gly-257-Arg). IDPP was synergistic in combination with FDA-approved HCV drugs and inhibited pre-existing resistant HCV strains induced by today's therapies. Interestingly, IDPP exclusively inhibited HCV genotype 2. However, we identified the genotype-specificity determining region in E1 and generated HCV genotype 1 susceptible to IDPP by changing one amino acid in E1 (Gln-257-Gly). Together, our results indicate an opportunity to provide an alternative treatment option for CHC and will shed light on the poorly understood function of HCV glycoprotein E1.
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46
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Fukuhara T, Yamamoto S, Ono C, Nakamura S, Motooka D, Mori H, Kurihara T, Sato A, Tamura T, Motomura T, Okamoto T, Imamura M, Ikegami T, Yoshizumi T, Soejima Y, Maehara Y, Chayama K, Matsuura Y. Quasispecies of Hepatitis C Virus Participate in Cell-Specific Infectivity. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45228. [PMID: 28327559 PMCID: PMC5361118 DOI: 10.1038/srep45228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well documented that a variety of viral quasispecies are found in the patients with chronic infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the significance of quasispecies in the specific infectivity to individual cell types remains unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the role of quasispecies of the genotype 2a clone, JFH1 (HCVcc), in specific infectivity to the hepatic cell lines, Huh7.5.1 and Hep3B. HCV RNA was electroporated into Huh7.5.1 cells and Hep3B/miR-122 cells expressing miR-122 at a high level. Then, we adapted the viruses to Huh7 and Hep3B/miR-122 cells by serial passages and termed the resulting viruses HCVcc/Huh7 and HCVcc/Hep3B, respectively. Interestingly, a higher viral load was obtained in the homologous combination of HCVcc/Huh7 in Huh7.5.1 cells or HCVcc/Hep3B in Hep3B/miR-122 cells compared with the heterologous combination. By using a reverse genetics system and deep sequence analysis, we identified several adaptive mutations involved in the high affinity for each cell line, suggesting that quasispecies of HCV participate in cell-specific infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takasuke Fukuhara
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satomi Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Aomori, Japan
| | - Chikako Ono
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shota Nakamura
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mori
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kurihara
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Asuka Sato
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Tamura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takashi Motomura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Toru Okamoto
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michio Imamura
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical &Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
| | - Toru Ikegami
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Tomoharu Yoshizumi
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuji Soejima
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Maehara
- Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chayama
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical &Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Matsuura
- Department of Molecular Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
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47
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Kofahi HM, Taylor NGA, Hirasawa K, Grant MD, Russell RS. Hepatitis C Virus Infection of Cultured Human Hepatoma Cells Causes Apoptosis and Pyroptosis in Both Infected and Bystander Cells. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37433. [PMID: 27974850 PMCID: PMC5156923 DOI: 10.1038/srep37433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at high risk of developing progressive liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). How HCV infection causes liver destruction has been of significant interest for many years, and apoptosis has been proposed as one operative mechanism. In this study, we employed a tissue culture-adapted strain of HCV (JFH1T) to test effects of HCV infection on induction of programmed cell death (PCD) in Huh-7.5 cells. We found that HCV infection reduced the proliferation rate and induced caspase-3-mediated apoptosis in the infected cell population. However, in addition to apoptosis, we also observed infected cells undergoing caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis, which was induced by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. By co-culturing HCV-infected Huh-7.5 cells with an HCV-non-permissive cell line, we also demonstrated induction of both apoptosis and pyroptosis in uninfected cells. Bystander apoptosis, but not bystander pyroptosis, required cell-cell contact between infected and bystander cells. In summary, these findings provide new information on mechanisms of cell death in response to HCV infection. The observation that both apoptosis and pyroptosis can be induced in bystander cells extends our understanding of HCV-induced pathogenesis in the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Kofahi
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - N G A Taylor
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - K Hirasawa
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - M D Grant
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - R S Russell
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3V6, Canada
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48
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Prentoe J, Verhoye L, Velázquez Moctezuma R, Buysschaert C, Farhoudi A, Wang R, Alter H, Meuleman P, Bukh J. HVR1-mediated antibody evasion of highly infectious in vivo adapted HCV in humanised mice. Gut 2016; 65:1988-1997. [PMID: 26589670 PMCID: PMC5136728 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2015] [Revised: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE HCV is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, but the role of neutralising antibodies (nAbs) in its natural history remains poorly defined. We analysed the in vivo role of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) for HCV virion properties, including nAb susceptibility. DESIGN Analysis of HCV from human liver chimeric mice infected with cell-culture-derived prototype genotype 2a recombinant J6/JFH1 or HVR1-deleted variant J6/JFH1ΔHVR1 identified adaptive mutations, which were analysed by reverse genetics in Huh7.5 and CD81-deficient S29 cells. The increased in vivo genomic stability of the adapted viruses facilitated ex vivo density analysis by ultracentrifugation and in vivo neutralisation experiments addressing the role of HVR1. RESULTS In vivo, J6/JFH1 and J6/JFH1ΔHVR1 depended on single substitutions within amino acids 867-876 in non-structural protein, NS2. The identified A876P-substitution resulted in a 4.7-fold increase in genomic stability. In vitro, NS2 substitutions enhanced infectivity 5-10-fold by increasing virus assembly. Mouse-derived mJ6/JFH1A876P and mJ6/JFH1ΔHVR1/A876P viruses displayed similar heterogeneous densities of 1.02-1.1 g/mL. Human liver chimeric mice loaded with heterologous patient H (genotype 1a) immunoglobulin had partial protection against mJ6/JFH1A876P and complete protection against mJ6/JFH1ΔHVR1/A876P. Interestingly, we identified a putative escape mutation, D476G, in mJ6/JFH1A876P. This mutation in hypervariable region 2 conferred 6.6-fold resistance against H06 IgG in vitro. CONCLUSIONS The A876P-substitution bridges in vitro and in vivo studies using J6/JFH1-based recombinants. We provide the first in vivo evidence that HVR1 protects cross-genotype conserved HCV neutralisation epitopes, which advocates the possibility of using HVR1-deleted viruses as vaccine antigens to boost broadly reactive protective nAb responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannick Prentoe
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lieven Verhoye
- Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rodrigo Velázquez Moctezuma
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Ali Farhoudi
- Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Richard Wang
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Harvey Alter
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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49
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A Library of Infectious Hepatitis C Viruses with Engineered Mutations in the E2 Gene Reveals Growth-Adaptive Mutations That Modulate Interactions with Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I. J Virol 2016; 90:10499-10512. [PMID: 27630236 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01011-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
While natural hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection results in highly diverse quasispecies of related viruses over time, mutations accumulate more slowly in tissue culture, in part because of the inefficiency of replication in cells. To create a highly diverse population of HCV particles in cell culture and identify novel growth-enhancing mutations, we engineered a library of infectious HCV with all codons represented at most positions in the ectodomain of the E2 gene. We identified many putative growth-adaptive mutations and selected nine highly represented E2 mutants for further study: Q412R, T416R, S449P, T563V, A579R, L619T, V626S, K632T, and L644I. We evaluated these mutants for changes in particle-to-infectious-unit ratio, sensitivity to neutralizing antibody or CD81 large extracellular loop (CD81-LEL) inhibition, entry factor usage, and buoyant density profiles. Q412R, T416R, S449P, T563V, and L619T were neutralized more efficiently by anti-E2 antibodies and T416R, T563V, and L619T by CD81-LEL. Remarkably, all nine variants showed reduced dependence on scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) for infection. This shift from SR-BI usage did not correlate with a change in the buoyant density profiles of the variants, suggesting an altered E2-SR-BI interaction rather than changes in the virus-associated lipoprotein-E2 interaction. Our results demonstrate that residues influencing SR-BI usage are distributed across E2 and support the development of large-scale mutagenesis studies to identify viral variants with unique functional properties. IMPORTANCE Characterizing variant viruses can reveal new information about the life cycle of HCV and the roles played by different viral genes. However, it is difficult to recapitulate high levels of diversity in the laboratory because of limitations in the HCV culture system. To overcome this limitation, we engineered a library of mutations into the E2 gene in the context of an infectious clone of the virus. We used this library of viruses to identify nine mutations that enhance the growth rate of HCV. These growth-enhancing mutations reduced the dependence on a key entry receptor, SR-BI. By generating a highly diverse library of infectious HCV, we mapped regions of the E2 protein that influence a key virus-host interaction and provide proof of principle for the generation of large-scale mutant libraries for the study of pathogens with great sequence variability.
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50
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Bukh J. The history of hepatitis C virus (HCV): Basic research reveals unique features in phylogeny, evolution and the viral life cycle with new perspectives for epidemic control. J Hepatol 2016; 65:S2-S21. [PMID: 27641985 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989 permitted basic research to unravel critical components of a complex life cycle for this important human pathogen. HCV is a highly divergent group of viruses classified in 7 major genotypes and a great number of subtypes, and circulating in infected individuals as a continuously evolving quasispecies destined to escape host immune responses and applied antivirals. Despite the inability to culture patient viruses directly in the laboratory, efforts to define the infectious genome of HCV resulted in development of experimental recombinant in vivo and in vitro systems, including replicons and infectious cultures in human hepatoma cell lines. And HCV has become a model virus defining new paradigms in virology, immunology and biology. For example, HCV research discovered that a virus could be completely dependent on microRNA for its replication since microRNA-122 is critical for the HCV life cycle. A number of other host molecules critical for HCV entry and replication have been identified. Thus, basic HCV research revealed important molecules for development of host targeting agents (HTA). The identification and characterization of HCV encoded proteins and their functional units contributed to the development of highly effective direct acting antivirals (DAA) against the NS3 protease, NS5A and the NS5B polymerase. In combination, these inhibitors have since 2014 permitted interferon-free therapy with cure rates above 90% among patients with chronic HCV infection; however, viral resistance represents a challenge. Worldwide control of HCV will most likely require the development of a prophylactic vaccine, and numerous candidates have been pursued. Research characterizing features critical for antibody-based virus neutralization and T cell based virus elimination from infected cells is essential for this effort. If the world community promotes an ambitious approach by applying current DAA broadly, continues to develop alternative viral- and host- targeted antivirals to combat resistant variants, and invests in the development of a vaccine, it would be possible to eradicate HCV. This would prevent about 500 thousand deaths annually. However, given the nature of HCV, the millions of new infections annually, a high chronicity rate, and with over 150 million individuals with chronic infection (which are frequently unidentified), this effort remains a major challenge for basic researchers, clinicians and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Research Centre, Hvidovre Hospital and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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