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Choi YR, Chen MC, Carrai M, Rizzo F, Chai Y, Tse M, Jackson K, Martella V, Steiner J, Pesavento PA, Beatty JA, Barrs VR. Hepadnavirus DNA Is Detected in Canine Blood Samples in Hong Kong but Not in Liver Biopsies of Chronic Hepatitis or Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071543. [PMID: 35891523 PMCID: PMC9320092 DOI: 10.3390/v14071543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by the hepadnavirus hepatitis B virus (HBV) are significant causes of human mortality. A hepatitis-B-like virus infecting cats, domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH), was reported in 2018. DCH DNA is hepatotropic and detectable in feline blood or serum (3.2 to 12.3%). Detection of HBV DNA has been reported in sera from 10% of free-roaming dogs in Brazil, whereas 6.3% of sera from dogs in Italy tested positive for DCH DNA by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). If DCH, HBV, or another hepadnavirus is hepatotropic in dogs, a role for such a virus in the etiology of canine idiopathic chronic hepatitis (CH) or HCC warrants investigation. This study investigated whether DCH DNA could be detected via qPCR in blood from dogs in Hong Kong and also whether liver biopsies from dogs with confirmed idiopathic CH or HCC contained hepadnaviral DNA using two panhepadnavirus conventional PCRs (cPCR) and a DCH-specific cPCR. DCH DNA was amplified from 2 of 501 (0.4%) canine whole-blood DNA samples. A second sample taken 6 or 7 months later from each dog tested negative in DCH qPCR. DNA extracted from 101 liver biopsies from dogs in Hong Kong or the USA, diagnosed by board-certified pathologists as idiopathic CH (n = 47) or HCC (n = 54), tested negative for DCH DNA and also tested negative using panhepadnavirus cPCRs. This study confirms that DCH DNA can be detected in canine blood by qPCR, although at a much lower prevalence than that reported previously. We identified no evidence to support a pathogenic role for a hepadnavirus in canine idiopathic CH or HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Ru Choi
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China; (Y.R.C.); (M.C.); (V.R.B.)
| | - Min-Chun Chen
- Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; (M.-C.C.); (J.S.)
| | - Maura Carrai
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China; (Y.R.C.); (M.C.); (V.R.B.)
| | - Francesca Rizzo
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China;
| | - Yingfei Chai
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China;
| | - May Tse
- CityU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China;
| | - Ken Jackson
- School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
| | - Vito Martella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Valenzano, Italy;
| | - Joerg Steiner
- Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; (M.-C.C.); (J.S.)
| | - Patricia A. Pesavento
- School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
| | - Julia A. Beatty
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China; (Y.R.C.); (M.C.); (V.R.B.)
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China;
- Correspondence:
| | - Vanessa R. Barrs
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China; (Y.R.C.); (M.C.); (V.R.B.)
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 518057, China;
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Suresh M, Menne S. Application of the woodchuck animal model for the treatment of hepatitis B virus-induced liver cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2021; 13:509-535. [PMID: 34163570 PMCID: PMC8204361 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v13.i6.509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This review describes woodchucks chronically infected with the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) as an animal model for hepatocarcinogenesis and treatment of primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Since laboratory animal models susceptible to HBV infection are limited, woodchucks experimentally infected with WHV, a hepatitis virus closely related to HBV, are increasingly used to enhance our understanding of virus-host interactions, immune response, and liver disease progression. A correlation of severe liver pathogenesis with high-level viral replication and deficient antiviral immunity has been established, which are present during chronic infection after WHV inoculation of neonatal woodchucks for modeling vertical HBV transmission in humans. HCC in chronic carrier woodchucks develops 17 to 36 mo after neonatal WHV infection and involves liver tumors that are comparable in size, morphology, and molecular gene signature to those of HBV-infected patients. Accordingly, woodchucks with WHV-induced liver tumors have been used for the improvement of imaging and ablation techniques of human HCC. In addition, drug efficacy studies in woodchucks with chronic WHV infection have revealed that prolonged treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogs, alone or in combination with other compounds, minimizes the risk of liver disease progression to HCC. More recently, woodchucks have been utilized in the delineation of mechanisms involved in innate and adaptive immune responses against WHV during acute, self-limited and chronic infections. Therapeutic interventions based on modulating the deficient host antiviral immunity have been explored in woodchucks for inducing functional cure in HBV-infected patients and for reducing or even delaying associated liver disease sequelae, including the onset of HCC. Therefore, woodchucks with chronic WHV infection constitute a well-characterized, fully immunocompetent animal model for HBV-induced liver cancer and for preclinical evaluation of the safety and efficacy of new modalities, which are based on chemo, gene, and immune therapy, for the prevention and treatment of HCC in patients for which current treatment options are dismal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasa Suresh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Stephan Menne
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, United States
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Yu JM, Li LL, Xie GC, Zhang CY, Ao YY, Duan ZJ. Experimental infection of Marmota monax with a novel hepatitis A virus. Arch Virol 2018; 163:1187-1193. [PMID: 29387970 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-018-3715-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
To establish an animal model for the newly identified Marmota Himalayana hepatovirus, MHHAV, so as to develop a better understanding of the infection of hepatitis A viruses. Five experimental woodchucks (Marmota monax) were inoculated intravenously with the purified MHHAV from wild woodchuck feces. One animal injected with PBS was defined as a control. Feces and blood were routinely collected. After the animals were subjected to necropsy, different tissues were collected. The presence of viral RNA and negative sense viral RNA was analyzed in all the samples and histopathological and in situ hybridization analysis was performed for the tissues. MHHAV infection caused fever but no severe symptoms or death. Virus was shed in feces beginning at 2 dpi, and MHHAV RNA persisted in feces for ~2 months, with a biphasic increase, and in blood for ~30 days. Viral RNA was detected in all the tissues, with high levels in the liver and spleen. Negative-strand viral RNA was detected only in the liver. Furthermore, the animals showed histological signs of hepatitis at 45 dpi. MHHAV can infect M. monax and is associated with hepatic disease. Therefore, this animal can be used as a model of HAV pathogenesis and to evaluate antiviral and anticancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Mei Yu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China
| | - Li-Li Li
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China
| | - Guang-Cheng Xie
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China
| | - Cui-Yuan Zhang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China
| | - Yuan-Yun Ao
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China
| | - Zhao-Jun Duan
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, CDC China, Beijing, 100052, China.
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Yu JM, Li LL, Zhang CY, Lu S, Ao YY, Gao HC, Xie ZP, Xie GC, Sun XM, Pang LL, Xu JG, Lipkin WI, Duan ZJ. A novel hepatovirus identified in wild woodchuck Marmota himalayana. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22361. [PMID: 26924426 PMCID: PMC4770319 DOI: 10.1038/srep22361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a hepatotropic picornavirus that causes acute liver disease worldwide. Here, we report on the identification of a novel hepatovirus tentatively named Marmota Himalayana hepatovirus (MHHAV) in wild woodchucks (Marmota Himalayana) in China. The genomic and molecular characterization of MHHAV indicated that it is most closely related genetically to HAV. MHHAV has wide tissue distribution but shows tropism for the liver. The virus is morphologically and structurally similar to HAV. The pattern of its codon usage bias is also consistent with that of HAV. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that MHHAV groups with known HAVs but forms an independent branch, and represents a new species in the genus Hepatovirus within the family Picornaviridae. Antigenic site analysis suggested MHHAV has a new antigenic property to other HAVs. Further evolutionary analysis of MHHAV and primate HAVs led to a most recent common ancestor estimate of 1,000 years ago, while the common ancestor of all HAV-related viruses including phopivirus can be traced back to 1800 years ago. The discovery of MHHAV may provide new insights into the origin and evolution of HAV and a model system with which to explore the pathogenesis of HAV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-mei Yu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Li-li Li
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Cui-yuan Zhang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Lu
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan-yun Ao
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Han-chun Gao
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-ping Xie
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Guang-cheng Xie
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-man Sun
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Li-li Pang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-guo Xu
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
| | - W Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zhao-Jun Duan
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing, China
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5
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Serologic survey of woodchuck hepatitis virus in North Carolina woodchucks (Marmota monax). J Zoo Wildl Med 2008; 39:263-5. [PMID: 18634221 DOI: 10.1638/2007-0119r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) in wild populations of woodchucks is understudied and therefore unclear. Although infection is common in the southeastern region of Pennsylvania and surrounding states, it is virtually absent in New York and New England. Sera were collected from wild woodchucks from Orange County, North Carolina and tested for the presence of markers of current or previous infection with WHV. Of the 24 woodchucks tested, there were three animals (12.5%) with WHV surface antigen as well as antibodies to woodchuck hepatitis core antigen in their serum, indicative of active infection. There were four (17%) animals with antibodies to WHV core antigen but no woodchuck hepatitis surface antigen, indicative of prior infections. The remaining 17 animals had no detectable markers of WHV infection. These data indicate that WHV is present in central North Carolina at rates approaching those seen in endemic areas, such as the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
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Primary human hepatocytes are susceptible to infection by hepatitis delta virus assembled with envelope proteins of woodchuck hepatitis virus. J Virol 2008; 82:7276-83. [PMID: 18495772 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00576-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) share the HBV envelope proteins. When woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) are superinfected with HDV, they produce HDV with a WHV envelope, wHDV. Several lines of evidence are provided that wHDV infects not only cultured primary woodchuck hepatocytes (PWH) but also primary human hepatocytes (PHH). Surprisingly, HBV-enveloped HDV (hHDV) and wHDV infected PHH with comparable efficiencies; however, hHDV did not infect PWH. The basis for these host range specificities was investigated using as inhibitors peptides bearing species-specific pre-S (where S is the small envelope protein) sequences. It was found that pre-S1 contributed to the ability of wHDV to infect both PHH and PWH. In addition, the inability of hHDV to infect PWH was not overcome using a chimeric form of hHDV containing WHV S protein, again supporting the essential role of pre-S1 in infection of target cells. One interpretation of these data is that host range specificity of HDV is determined entirely by pre-S1 and that the WHV and HBV pre-S1 proteins recognize different receptors on PHH.
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7
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Recent advances in research on hepadnaviral infection in the woodchuck model. Virol Sin 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s12250-008-2941-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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8
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Menne S, Tennant BC, Gerin JL, Cote PJ. Chemoimmunotherapy of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the woodchuck model overcomes immunologic tolerance and restores T-cell responses to pre-S and S regions of the viral envelope protein. J Virol 2007; 81:10614-24. [PMID: 17652398 PMCID: PMC2045479 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00691-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection could combine potent antiviral drugs and therapeutic vaccines to overcome immunological tolerance and induce the recovery phenotype to protect against disease progression. Conventional vaccination of woodchucks chronically infected with the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) elicited differential T-cell response profiles depending on whether or not carriers were treated with the potent antiviral drug clevudine (CLV), which significantly reduces viral and antigen loads. The differential T-cell responses defined both CLV-dependent and CLV-independent epitopes of the pre-S and S regions of the WHV envelope protein. Only combined treatment involving CLV and conventional vaccine therapeutically restored the T-cell response profile of chronic WHV carrier woodchucks to that seen in prophylactic vaccination and in recovery from acute WHV infection. The results have implications for mechanisms of immunological tolerance operating in chronic HBV infection and suggest that such combined chemoimmunotherapy may be useful for treatment of humans with chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Menne
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Room C-2005 VMC, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
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9
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Lu M, Menne S, Yang D, Xu Y, Roggendorf M. Immunomodulation as an option for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection: preclinical studies in the woodchuck model. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2007; 16:787-801. [PMID: 17501692 DOI: 10.1517/13543784.16.6.787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
New therapeutic approaches for chronic hepatitis B virus infection based on immunomodulation are now under investigation. The woodchuck model for hepatitis B virus infection has emerged as a useful animal model for the evaluation of such approaches, after developing necessary assays and reagents for immunologic studies in this model. Conventional and novel vaccines such as DNA vaccines were tested in woodchucks for their ability to induce protective immune responses against challenge infection with the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). Furthermore, immunotherapeutic approaches for the control of chronic hepadnaviral infection were evaluated in woodchucks. Immunizations with WHV proteins and DNA vaccines led to the development of antibodies to the WHV surface antigen and to a significant decrease of viral load in chronically WHV-infected woodchucks. Viral vector-mediated gene transfer was explored for the delivery of antiviral cytokines IFN-alpha in woodchucks and resulted in the decrease of viral replication. It is now generally accepted that a combination of antiviral treatment and immunization will be necessary to achieve successful immunomodulation with a long-term control of chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengji Lu
- Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany.
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Tennant BC, Toshkov IA, Peek SF, Jacob JR, Menne S, Hornbuckle WE, Schinazi RD, Korba BE, Cote PJ, Gerin JL. Hepatocellular carcinoma in the woodchuck model of hepatitis B virus infection. Gastroenterology 2004; 127:S283-93. [PMID: 15508096 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2004.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The Eastern woodchuck ( Marmota monax ) harbors a DNA virus (Woodchuck hepatitis virus [WHV]) that is similar in structure and replicative life cycle to the human hepatitis B virus (HBV). Like HBV, WHV infects the liver and can cause acute and chronic hepatitis. Furthermore, chronic WHV infection in woodchucks usually leads to development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the first 2-4 years of life. The woodchuck model has been important in the preclinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of the antiviral drugs now in use for treatment of HBV infection and continues to serve as an important, predictive model for innovative forms of therapy of hepatitis B using antiviral nucleosides and immune response modifiers alone or in combination. Almost all woodchucks that become chronic WHV carriers after experimental neonatal inoculation develop HCC with a median HCC-free survival of 24 months and a median life expectancy of 30-32 months. The woodchuck model of viral-induced HCC has been used effectively for the development of new imaging agents for enhancement of detection of hepatic neoplasms by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The chemoprevention of HCC using long-term antiviral nucleoside therapy has been shown in the woodchuck, and "proof of principal" has been established for some of the innovative, molecular methods for treatment of HCC. The model is available for fundamental investigations of the viral and molecular mechanisms responsible for hepatocarcinogenesis and should have substantial value for future development of innovative methods for chemoprevention and gene therapy of human HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bud C Tennant
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14953, USA.
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Abstract
The woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) was the first of the mammalian and avian hepadnaviruses described after discovery of the virus of hepatitis B (HBV). Woodchucks chronically infected with WHV develop progressively severe hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which present as lesions that are remarkably similar to those associated with HBV infection in humans. The initial virological studies and studies of pathogenesis utilized woodchucks that had been trapped in the wild and had acquired WHV infection naturally. Research with wild woodchucks was complicated by lack of knowledge of their backgrounds (e.g., dietary history, exposure to parasites or environmental toxins, and source and duration of WHV infection). Breeding colonies of woodchucks have been established and maintained in laboratory animal facilities, and laboratory-reared woodchucks are superior for experimental studies of pathogenesis or hepatocarcinogenesis. It is possible to infect neonatal woodchucks born in the laboratory with standardized inocula and produce a high rate of chronic WHV carriers that are useful for controlled investigations. WHV has been shown experimentally to cause hepatocellular carcinoma, supporting conclusions based on epidemiological and molecular virological studies that HBV is an important etiological factor in human hepatocarcinogenesis. Chronic WHV carrier woodchucks have become a valuable animal model for the preclinical evaluation of antiviral therapy for HBV infection, providing useful pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic results in a relevant animal disease model. It also has been shown that the pattern of toxicity and hepatic injury observed in woodchucks treated with certain fluorinated pyrimidines is remarkably similar to that observed in humans that were treated with the same drugs, suggesting the woodchuck has significant potential for the preclincial assessment of antiviral drug toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Tennant
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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12
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Abstract
Animal models of hepatitis B virus infection have been valuable for determining the mechanisms of hepadnavirus replication, for studies of pathogenesis, and for investigations of viral hepatocarcinogenesis. The woodchuck model also seems to be useful in the discovery and development of antiviral drugs to treat HBV infection and for testing new forms of immunotherapy. In particular, the woodchuck seems to be ideal for studying the effect of antiviral treatment and immunotherapy on the outcome of hepadnavirus infection and on survival. The median life expectancy of experimentally infected, chronic WHV carriers is approximately 29 months, and almost all develop HCC. New types of prophylaxis or therapy can be evaluated under controlled experimental conditions, in a relevant animal model, and within a reasonable time frame.
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Tennant
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Korba BE, Cote P, Hornbuckle W, Tennant BC, Gerin JL. Treatment of chronic woodchuck hepatitis virus infection in the Eastern woodchuck (Marmota monax) with nucleoside analogues is predictive of therapy for chronic hepatitis B virus infection in humans. Hepatology 2000; 31:1165-75. [PMID: 10796894 DOI: 10.1053/he.2000.5982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) and its natural host, the Eastern woodchuck (Marmota monax), have been established as a model of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced disease. Several published studies have used this experimental animal model system to demonstrate potential antiviral therapies for chronic HBV infections. However, there has been little comparative information available on compounds used in clinical anti-HBV studies in WHV-infected woodchucks, thereby making interpretations of the potential relative effectiveness of new antiviral agents in humans more difficult. In this report, using a series of placebo-controlled studies, we compared the relative effectiveness of several nucleoside analogues that have been used in clinical trials for the treatment of chronic HBV infection against WHV replication in chronically infected woodchucks. Adenine-5'-arabinoside monophosphate (Ara-AMP [vidarabine]), ribavirin, (-)beta-L-2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC [lamivudine]), and famciclovir (oral prodrug of penciclovir) induced depressions in viremia and intrahepatic WHV-DNA replication that were consistent with their relative effectiveness in anti-HBV human clinical trials. As observed in HBV-infected patients, 3' azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT [zidovudine]) had no effect on WHV replication in these studies. These experimental results more firmly establish chronic WHV infection in woodchucks as an accurate and predictive model for antiviral therapies against chronic HBV infection in humans and provide a baseline for comparative antiviral effects of other experimental antiviral agents in the WHV/woodchuck model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- B E Korba
- Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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Korba BE, Cote P, Hornbuckle W, Schinazi R, Gangemi JD, Tennant BC, Gerin JL. Enhanced Antiviral Benefit of Combination Therapy with Lamivudine and Alpha Interferon against WHV Replication in Chronic Carrier Woodchucks. Antivir Ther 2000. [DOI: 10.1177/135965350000500205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell culture studies in our laboratory previously demonstrated synergistic antiviral activity for the combinations of lamivudine and a novel recombinant hybrid human alpha B/D interferon (rHuαB/D IFN) against hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. Based on these results, a study was designed to determine if an enhanced antiviral effect with this drug combination could be demonstrated in vivo using the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV)/woodchuck experimental model of chronic HBV infection. Both antiviral agents have been shown to be effective against WHV replication in WHV chronic carriers during previous studies by our laboratories. Two combination treatment regimens were compared to matched monotherapies in a placebo-controlled trial. The first used simultaneous administration of rHuαB/D IFN and lamivudine for 24 weeks. The other combination treatment regimen used a staggered dosing schedule of 12 weeks of administration of lamivudine alone, followed by 12 weeks of simultaneous dosing with both drugs, followed by 12 weeks of therapy with rHuαB/D IFN alone. Both treatment regimens with combinations of lamivudine and rHuαB/D IFN were more effective at reducing WHV replication in chronically infected wood-chucks than the corresponding monotherapies. Both combination treatments produced antiviral effects that were at least equal to that expected for additive activity based on estimations generated by Bliss Independence calculations. The staggered treatment regimen reduced viraemia and intrahepatic WHV replication significantly more than that expected for additive interactions, indicating synergistic antiviral effects. These studies demonstrate that combination therapy of chronic WHV infection has enhanced antiviral benefit over corresponding monotherapies and indicate that combination treatment of chronic HBV infection can be superior to therapies using a single antiviral agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent E Korba
- Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, Md., USA
| | - Paul Cote
- Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, Md., USA
| | | | | | - J David Gangemi
- Greenville Hospital/Clemson University Biomedical Cooperative, Clemson, S.C., USA
| | - Bud C Tennant
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., USA
| | - John L Gerin
- Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, Md., USA
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Korba BE, Cote P, Hornbuckle W, Schinazi R, Gerin JL, Tennant BC. Enhanced antiviral benefit of combination therapy with lamivudine and famciclovir against WHV replication in chronic WHV carrier woodchucks. Antiviral Res 2000; 45:19-32. [PMID: 10774587 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-3542(99)00072-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell culture studies in our laboratory and others have previously demonstrated synergistic antiviral activity for combinations of 3TC (lamivudine) and penciclovir against Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) replication and the Duck Hepatitis B Virus (DHBV). Based on these results, a study was designed to determine if an enhanced antiviral effect with combinations of 3TC and famciclovir (FCV, oral prodrug of penciclovir) could be demonstrated in vivo using the Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV)/woodchuck experimental model of chronic HBV infection. Both antiviral agents have been shown to be effective against WHV replication in WHV chronic carriers in previous studies by our laboratories. The antiviral effects of four different combinations of lamivudine and FCV were found to be greater than those observed for the corresponding monotherapies. All four combination treatments produced antiviral effects that were at least equal to that expected for additive activity based on estimations generated by Bliss Independence calculations. Two of the combination treatments produced antiviral effects that were significantly greater than that expected for additive effects, indicative of synergistic antiviral interactions. These studies demonstrate that combination therapy of chronic WHV infection has enhanced antiviral benefit over corresponding monotherapies and indicate that combination treatment of chronic HBV infection can be superior to therapies using a single antiviral agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- B E Korba
- Division of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, MD, USA
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16
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Block TM, Lu X, Mehta AS, Blumberg BS, Tennant B, Ebling M, Korba B, Lansky DM, Jacob GS, Dwek RA. Treatment of chronic hepadnavirus infection in a woodchuck animal model with an inhibitor of protein folding and trafficking. Nat Med 1998; 4:610-4. [PMID: 9585237 DOI: 10.1038/nm0598-610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A novel strategy for anti-viral intervention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) through the disruption of the proper folding and transport of the hepadnavirus glycoproteins is described. Laboratory reared woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) were treated with N-nonyl-deoxynojirimycin (N-nonyl-DNJ), an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) alpha-glucosidases. The woodchucks experienced significant dose dependent decreases in enveloped WHV, resulting in undetectable amounts in some cases. The reduction in viremia correlated with the levels of hyperglucosylated glycan in the serum of treated animals. This correlation supports the mechanism of action associated with the drug and highlights the extreme sensitivity of the virus to this type of glycan inhibitor. At N-nonyl-DNJ concentrations that prevented WHV secretion, the glycosylation of most serum glycoproteins appeared unaffected, suggesting great selectivity for this class of therapeutics. Indeed, this may account for the low toxicity of the compound over the treatment period. We provide the first evidence that glucosidase inhibitors can be used in vivo to alter specific steps in the N-linked glycosylation pathway and that this inhibition has anti-viral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Block
- Viral Hepatitis Group, Kimmel Cancer Center, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA
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17
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Bartholomew RM, Carmichael EP, Findeis MA, Wu CH, Wu GY. Targeted delivery of antisense DNA in woodchuck hepatitis virus-infected woodchucks. J Viral Hepat 1995; 2:273-8. [PMID: 8732172 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.1995.tb00041.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
An asialoglycoprotein-based DNA delivery system containing an antisense oligo DNA against the polyadenylation region and adjacent upstream sequences of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) was prepared. Experimental woodchucks were inoculated neonatally with the woodchuck virus 23 weeks before initiating the study, and all animals subsequently developed hepatitis as evidenced by the presence of measurable levels of circulating viral DNA. Animals were injected intravenously (i.v.) with asialoorosomucoid (AsOR)-poly-L-lysine complexes containing 0.1 mg kg-1 antisense DNA for five consecutive days. Levels of surface antigen did not differ substantially between treated and control animals. However, intravenous administration of complexed antisense DNA significantly decreased viraemia, as shown by a five- to 10-fold decrease in circulating viral DNA 25 days post treatment. The decline lasted for at least 2 weeks, after which there was a gradual increase in DNA levels. Antisense DNA alone or a complex containing a random oligo DNA of the same size and linkage failed to have any significant effect on viral DNA levels. We conclude that antisense oligo DNA can be targeted to the liver in vivo, resulting in a substantial and prolonged decrease in viral DNA levels in WHV-infected woodchucks.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Bartholomew
- Department of Gene Therapy, TargeTech, Inc./The Immune Response Corporation, Carlsbad, CA, USA
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18
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Kew MC, Miller RH, Chen HS, Tennant BC, Purcell RH. Mutant woodchuck hepatitis virus genomes from virions resemble rearranged hepadnaviral integrants in hepatocellular carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1993; 90:10211-5. [PMID: 8234278 PMCID: PMC47744 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.21.10211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Although hepadnaviruses are implicated in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma, the pathogenic mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Clonally propagated integrations of hepadnaviral DNA into cellular DNA can be demonstrated in most virally induced hepatocellular carcinomas. Integration occurs at random sites in cellular DNA, but the highly preferred sites in viral DNA are adjacent to the directly repeated sequence DR1, less often DR2, or in the cohesive overlap region. Integrants invariably contain simple deletions or complex rearrangements that have been thought to occur after integration. We report here the detection of mutant woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) genomes cloned from virions in serum that are strikingly similar to the rearranged hepadnaviral genomes found previously as integrated sequences in cellular DNA. Of 102 cloned genomes studied, 2 had large inverted duplications, 1 a 219-nucleotide direct duplication, and 1 a 219-nucleotide deletion. Virus-virus DNA junctions occurred either adjacent to DR1 or DR2 or in the cohesive overlap region at preferred topoisomerase I cleavage sites. Since these sites are located in the single-stranded regions of the genome, cleavage by topoisomerase I would produce linear molecules that would be expected to be highly recombinogenic since this enzyme, possessing nicking and ligating activities, would remain covalently attached. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation coupled with polymerase chain reaction studies confirmed that the mutant WHV DNA forms resided in virions and did not represent free viral DNA released from infected cells or were unlikely to be an artifact of the cloning process. Thus, the finding in virions of mutant WHV DNA similar to WHV DNA integrated into cellular DNA suggests that the processes of mutation and integration are linked in some instances. Furthermore, the mutant genomes that are preferentially integrated into cellular DNA may have an etiologic role in hepatocarcinogenesis.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology
- Centrifugation, Density Gradient
- Cloning, Molecular
- DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/metabolism
- DNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- DNA, Neoplasm/isolation & purification
- DNA, Viral/blood
- DNA, Viral/genetics
- DNA, Viral/isolation & purification
- Gene Rearrangement
- Genome, Viral
- Hepadnaviridae/genetics
- Hepadnaviridae/isolation & purification
- Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/microbiology
- Marmota/microbiology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Virion/genetics
- Virion/isolation & purification
- Virus Integration
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Kew
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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19
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Chen HS, Kaneko S, Girones R, Anderson RW, Hornbuckle WE, Tennant BC, Cote PJ, Gerin JL, Purcell RH, Miller RH. The woodchuck hepatitis virus X gene is important for establishment of virus infection in woodchucks. J Virol 1993; 67:1218-26. [PMID: 8437213 PMCID: PMC237487 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.67.3.1218-1226.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 300] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
All mammalian hepadnaviruses possess a gene, termed X, that encodes a protein capable of transactivating virus gene expression. The X gene overlaps the polymerase and precore genes as well as two newly identified open reading frames (ORFs) termed ORF5 and ORF6. In this investigation, we examined whether ORF5, ORF6, and the X gene were important for the replication of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) in susceptible woodchucks. First, we investigated whether proteins were produced from ORF5 and ORF6 by in vitro translation of appropriate viral transcripts, searched for antibodies against the putative proteins in the sera of animals infected with wild-type virus, and looked for an antisense WHV transcript, necessary for expression of a protein from ORF6, in the livers of acutely or chronically infected woodchucks. All such experiments yielded negative results. Next, we used oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to introduce termination codons into ORF5 and ORF6 at two locations within each ORF. Adult woodchucks in groups of three were transfected with one of the four mutant genomes. All of these woodchucks developed WHV infections that were indistinguishable from those of animals transfected with the wild-type WHV recombinant. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct DNA sequencing confirmed that reversion of the mutants to a wild-type genotype did not occur. Taken together, these data indicate that ORF5 and ORF6 are not essential for virus replication and are unlikely to represent authentic genes. Finally, we generated five WHV X-gene mutants that either removed the initiation codon for protein synthesis or truncated the carboxyl terminus of the protein by 3, 16, 31, or 52 amino acids. Groups of three adult woodchucks were transfected with one of the five X-gene mutants. Only the mutant that possessed an X gene lacking 3 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus was capable of replication within the 6-month time frame of the experiment. In contrast, all seven woodchucks transfected with wild-type WHV DNA developed markers consistent with viral infection. Thus, it is likely (P < 0.01) that the WHV X gene is important for virus replication in the natural host.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Chen
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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20
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Kew MC, Chestnut T, Baldwin BH, Hornbuckle WE, Tennant BC, Purcell RH, Miller RH. Heterogeneity of the woodchuck hepatitis virus genome in a chronically infected woodchuck. Virus Res 1993; 27:229-37. [PMID: 8488722 DOI: 10.1016/0168-1702(93)90035-l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The nucleotide sequence of an isolate of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) from the serum of a woodchuck trapped in New York state (WHVNY) was compared with the sequences of previously published isolates. The nucleotide sequence of WHVNY was closest to that of an isolate originating from New Jersey: the two genomes shared a 15 nucleotide in-frame deletion in the region where the presurface and polymerase genes overlap (nucleotides 3260-3274) and differed by 54 point mutations (1.6% of genome). Amino acid differences ranged from 0.4% in the surface gene to 5.7% in the X gene. Three isolates from woodchucks that originated in Pennsylvania and Maryland did not contain the deletion and differed from WHVNY by 102 to 106 point mutations (3.0% to 3.2% of nucleotides). Amino acid changes ranged from 0.5% in the core gene to 5.7% in the X-gene. Thus, WHVNY differed little from previous isolates. Next, the genomes from 102 independent clones of WHVNY were compared to ascertain the extent of sequence variation among WHV genomes in a chronically infected animal. A total of 98 clones had genomes of unit length while 2 clones had genomes shorter than unit length and 2 clones had genomes longer than unit length. The clones not of unit length possessed deletions or inverted duplications of sequence. The rate of mutation in the viral genes was 2.65 mutations per 10,000 nucleotides in the precore domain, 1.27 per 10,000 in the X-gene, 0.98 per 10,000 in the presurface gene, and 3.77 per 10,000 at the 5' end of the core gene.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Kew
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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21
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Cote PJ, Roneker C, Cass K, Schödel F, Peterson D, Tennant B, De Noronha F, Gerin J. New enzyme immunoassays for the serologic detection of woodchuck hepatitis virus infection. Viral Immunol 1993; 6:161-9. [PMID: 8216715 DOI: 10.1089/vim.1993.6.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The woodchuck and the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) have been used as a model of hepatitis B virus infection and its disease sequelas. Serologic responses to WHV infection have been described in previous reports from this laboratory by using virus-specific radioimmunoassays (RIAs) for WHV surface antigen, antibody to WHV core antigen, and antibody to WHsAg. In this study, we developed and evaluated new enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for these WHV serologic markers. Relative to the established RIAs, the EIAs were either improved or comparable in their sensitivity and specificity, and in their utility for monitoring experimental WHV infection and classifying woodchucks into serological diagnostic categories. These EIA systems are amenable to the quantitative titration of antibodies and quantitation of WHV antigens in serum, and ultimately should allow improved resolution of virologic and humoral immune responses of woodchucks to WHV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Cote
- Department of Microbiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Rockville, Maryland
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22
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Cova L, Fourel I, Vitvitski L, Lambert V, Chassot S, Hantz O, Trepo C. Animal models for the understanding and control of HBV and HDV infections. J Hepatol 1993; 17 Suppl 3:S143-8. [PMID: 8509630 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8278(05)80440-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L Cova
- Hepatitis Research Unit (INSERM U-271), Lyons, France
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23
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Kelleher PC, Walters CJ, Myhre BD, Tennant BC, Gerin JL, Cote PJ. Altered glycosylation of alpha-fetoprotein in hepadnavirus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma of the woodchuck. Cancer Lett 1992; 63:93-9. [PMID: 1373341 DOI: 10.1016/0304-3835(92)90058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Altered glycosylation of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been proposed as a marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in humans. The lectin-binding properties of woodchuck AFP were investigated to determine if woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV)-induced HCCs are also accompanied by changes in AFP glycosylation. Ninety-eight to 100% of the AFP from normal, WHV-free woodchucks with physiologic AFP elevations and from WHV-carrier woodchucks with HCC bound to concanavalin A, indicating that virtually all of the AFP was glycosylated. Three percent or less of the serum AFP of normal woodchucks bound to Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA). In contrast, the AFP from woodchucks with HCC had an increased LCA-binding fraction (range, 8-77%). The increased LCA-binding AFP in WHV-induced HCC is analogous to that which frequently accompanies hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced HCC in humans. This study corroborates the relationship of altered glycoconjugate synthesis to virus-induced malignant transformation, confirms the importance of AFP glycoforms as markers of HCC, and demonstrates that the WHV-infected woodchuck should be useful in investigating changes in AFP glycosylation during hepadnavirus hepatocarcinogenesis and HCC growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- P C Kelleher
- Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Burlington 05405
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24
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Ponzetto A, Fiume L, Forzani B, Song SY, Busi C, Mattioli A, Spinelli C, Marinelli M, Smedile A, Chiaberge E. Adenine arabinoside monophosphate and acyclovir monophosphate coupled to lactosaminated albumin reduce woodchuck hepatitis virus viremia at doses lower than do the unconjugated drugs. Hepatology 1991; 14:16-24. [PMID: 1712338 DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840140104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The woodchuck was selected to study the efficacy of liver-targeted antiviral drugs on hepadnavirus replication. Nineteen woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus were treated with adenine arabinoside monophosphate or acyclovir monophosphate, either free or conjugated with the liver-targeting molecule lactosaminated human serum albumin. Circulating woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA levels remained unchanged in untreated animals and in those receiving the carrier lactosaminated human serum albumin alone; in contrast, they were consistently lower after 5 days of treatment with the antiviral drugs. Free and conjugated adenine arabinoside monophosphate were active at doses of 10 and 0.75 mg/kg, respectively, and free and coupled ACVMP were active at doses of 20 and 2.6 mg/kg, respectively. These results indicate that the dosages of adenine arabinoside monophosphate and acyclovir monophosphate required to inhibit hepadnavirus growth can be sharply reduced by coupling the drugs to lactosaminated human serum albumin.
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25
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Miller RH, Girones R, Cote PJ, Hornbuckle WE, Chestnut T, Baldwin BH, Korba BE, Tennant BC, Gerin JL, Purcell RH. Evidence against a requisite role for defective virus in the establishment of persistent hepadnavirus infections. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1990; 87:9329-32. [PMID: 2251274 PMCID: PMC55158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.87.23.9329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The factors involved in the establishment of persistent hepadnavirus infection are poorly understood. Recent findings demonstrate that the sequence of the genome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is variable in infected individuals and that, in some cases, virus mutants predominate. Our objectives in the present study were to analyze the variability of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) genomes in an infected animal and to determine whether sequence heterogeneity played a critical role in the ability of WHV to induce chronic infection. We cloned and determined the complete nucleotide sequence of three supercoiled genomes from an animal that became infected after inoculation with a standardized WHV serum pool (i.e., the WHV7 virus pool). We found that there were four nucleotide substitutions among the three genome sequences as well as a 73-nucleotide deletion in one of the recombinants. DNA transfection experiments revealed that only one of the three recombinants was capable of independent replication. These data suggest that a significant proportion of replicative templates in woodchucks that are infected with WHV are defective virus genomes. Next, we compared the outcome of acute infection after inoculation with a serum pool containing a uniform population of replication competent virus (i.e., the WHV7R pool) with a serum pool composed of WHV genomes of variable sequence. The WHV7R serum pool originated from a woodchuck that became a chronic carrier after in vivo transfection of the liver with the infectious WHV7 recombinant. Neonatal woodchucks were inoculated with 5 x 10(6) WHV genome equivalents of either the WHV7 pool or the WHV7R pool. All animals in the study became acutely infected with WHV. Of the animals infected with the WHV7 serum pool, 65% became chronic carriers, while 80% of the animals infected with the WHV7R serum pool developed chronic infection. Thus, infection of woodchucks with a serum pool containing defective virus resulted in a rate of chronic WHV infection that was similar to, or even lower than, a rate from a pool containing only wild-type virus. This suggests that the presence of defective virus in the inoculum is not a prerequisite for the establishment of persistent hepadnavirus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- R H Miller
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892
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26
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Gerin JL. Experimental WHV infection of woodchucks: an animal model of hepadnavirus-induced liver cancer. GASTROENTEROLOGIA JAPONICA 1990; 25 Suppl 2:38-42. [PMID: 2227264 DOI: 10.1007/bf02779926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV), a member of the Hepadnaviridae, is closely related to HBV in its virus structure, genetic organization and mechanism of replication. Natural infection of woodchucks is associated with chronic liver disease and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A concerted effort to develop the woodchuck as an experimental animal model of hepadnavirus-induced disease was initiated in 1980. The experimental studies have established the following: (1) Chronic WHV carriage as an outcome of infection is a function of age of exposure, virus dose and, possibly, virus strain. As in humans, animals infected as newborns develop chronic antigenemia at high rates compared to young adults. (2) WHV causes primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in woodchucks. Hundred percent of experimentally-induced chronic WHsAg carriers developed HCC within three years; no HCC has occurred in concurrent uninfected control animals born and held in the same laboratory environment. The predictable course of experimental WHV infection leading to liver disease in woodchucks makes this an ideal model in which to study the natural history of hepadnavirus and to develop effective prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Gerin
- Department of Microbiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Rockville, MD 20852
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27
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Abstract
An essential factor for charting the evolution of hepadnaviruses is an estimation of the mutation rate of the virus genome during replication in the host. In order to determine the mutation rate of the hepadnavirus genome under defined experimental conditions, we transfected 10 neonatal woodchucks with an infectious molecular clone of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). By 4 months post-transfection, all 10 animals showed serological evidence for WHV infection. Subsequently, 1 animal became chronically infected and was used for further study. At 16 months post-transfection WHV DNA from serum virions was cloned and the nucleotide sequence of three independent progeny genomes compared directly with that of the input recombinant DNA. Although the consensus nucleotide sequence remained unchanged, we found three differences in individual progeny genomes when compared to the parental genome sequence. Thus, we estimate the mutation rate of the WHV genome to be less than or equal to 2 X 10(-4) base substitutions/site/year. This figure is one to two orders of magnitude lower than the mutation rates previously calculated for the positive- and negative-strand RNA viruses, but is similar to the mutation rate of the gag gene which is the most slowly evolving gene of retroviruses. Therefore, we find that the hepadnavirus genome is relatively stable during replication in host tissues when compared to other viruses that lack polymerase-associated proofreading functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Girones
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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28
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Girones R, Cote PJ, Hornbuckle WE, Tennant BC, Gerin JL, Purcell RH, Miller RH. Complete nucleotide sequence of a molecular clone of woodchuck hepatitis virus that is infectious in the natural host. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1989; 86:1846-9. [PMID: 2928306 PMCID: PMC286801 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.86.6.1846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) DNA was cloned from viral particles obtained from the serum of a woodchuck with a naturally acquired infection. The complete nucleotide sequence of the virus genome was determined and found to be 3323 base pairs long. Transfection experiments demonstrated that the recombinant WHV DNA was infectious in each of 18 woodchucks tested and established a chronic carrier state in 1 of 13 neonates and 3 of 5 adult animals. WHV DNA from serum particles from the chronically infected neonate was cloned and the nucleotide sequence of three independent recombinants was compared directly with that of the input recombinant DNA. The consensus sequence of the three progeny genomes was identical to that of the parental DNA sequence. Therefore, transfection of woodchuck livers with recombinant WHV DNA induces active virus replication and gene expression and yields progeny genomes that are faithful copies of the input virus genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Girones
- Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892
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29
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Cote PJ, Shapiro M, Engle RE, Popper H, Purcell RH, Gerin JL. Protection of chimpanzees from type B hepatitis by immunization with woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen. J Virol 1986; 60:895-901. [PMID: 3783820 PMCID: PMC253316 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.60.3.895-901.1986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Two chimpanzees immunized with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) surface antigen (WHsAg) developed antibodies cross-reactive with hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). After challenge with HBV, one animal was completely protected and the other experienced a subclinical infection, without evidence of liver disease. Three woodchucks immunized with HBsAg developed antibodies to HBsAg which did not cross-react with WHsAg. After challenge with WHV, all three woodchucks developed typical acute infections with associated hepatic lesions. Serological studies with the cross-reactive antibodies raised in chimpanzees suggested that the protective epitopes of WHsAg were related to the group a specificity of HBsAg. These studies indicated that cross-protective epitopes are shared by HBV and WHV; however, the humoral response to these epitopes can vary among species.
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30
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Ponzetto A, Cote PJ, Ford EC, Engle R, Cicmanec J, Shapiro M, Purcell RH, Gerin JL. Radioimmunoassay and characterization of woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen and antibody. Virus Res 1985; 2:301-15. [PMID: 4036315 DOI: 10.1016/0168-1702(85)90027-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Solid-phase radioimmunoassays for woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen (WHcAg) and antibody (anti-WHc) were developed. WHcAg in woodchuck liver homogenates was characterized by ultracentrifugation in CsCl gradients; both heavy (1.35 g/cm3) and light (1.31 g/cm3) cores were obtained from the liver of an animal during acute WHV infection, which is consistent with observations in hepatitis B virus infection in man. Endpoint titers of anti-WHc were higher in chronic WHV carriers than in animals recovered from acute infections. Both IgM and IgG anti-WHc antibodies were produced by infected woodchucks. A survey of colony woodchucks demonstrated that 88/89 animals having one or more markers of past or ongoing WHV infection were positive for anti-WHc. Thus, serum anti-WHc appears to be a sensitive marker of WHV infection.
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31
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Lindberg J, Pichoud C, Hantz O, Vitvitski L, Grimaud JA, Gilbert JM, Joubert L, Frommel D, Trepo C. Woodchuck hepatitis virus infection: serologic and histopathologic course and outcome. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY 1985; 4:59-61. [PMID: 3987680 DOI: 10.1007/bf02148663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Five out of seven American woodchucks inoculated with woodchuck hepatitis virus developed antigenemia after 2 to 13 weeks followed by an antibody response. One animal became a carrier, and another animal exhibited a primary antibody response. Clinical disease was not obvious and aminotransferase elevation could not be demonstrated. Liver biopsy showed mononuclear portal infiltration and little parenchymal cell necrosis.
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Roth L, King JM, Tennant BC. Primary hepatoma in a woodchuck (Marmota monax) without serologic evidence of woodchuck hepatitis virus infection. Vet Pathol 1984; 21:607-8. [PMID: 6097011 DOI: 10.1177/030098588402100611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Ponzetto A, Cote PJ, Ford EC, Purcell RH, Gerin JL. Core antigen and antibody in woodchucks after infection with woodchuck hepatitis virus. J Virol 1984; 52:70-6. [PMID: 6384556 PMCID: PMC254490 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.52.1.70-76.1984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The woodchuck hepatitis virus is a naturally occurring hepatitis B-like virus that infects the eastern woodchuck. Direct immunofluorescence staining for woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen in liver biopsies demonstrated the presence of this antigen in 14 of 17 chronically infected woodchucks, and in 8 of 10 woodchucks undergoing acute infections. Fluorescent localization of woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen was typically cytoplasmic, and this was confirmed further by electron microscopy. Experimental infection with woodchuck hepatitis virus was achieved in four of four woodchucks inoculated with serum from chronic carrier woodchucks. All infected animals developed a self-limited disease characterized by seroconversion to antibodies against the major viral antigens (core and surface antigens); naturally acquired acute infection demonstrated a similar course. A chimpanzee seronegative for all markers of hepatitis B virus developed a subclinical infection after inoculation with woodchuck hepatitis virus.
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Frommel D, Crevat D, Vitvitsky L, Pichoud C, Hantz O, Chevalier M, Grimaud JA, Lindberg J, Trépo CG. Immunopathologic aspects of woodchuck hepatitis. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 1984; 115:125-34. [PMID: 6324594 PMCID: PMC1900361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The natural history of infection with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) has been studied in a colony of 38 Marmota monax. Besides serologic assessment for WHV markers, light-microscopic findings of 61 liver biopsies were correlated with the results of immunofluorescence analysis for nucleocapsid (WHcAg) and surface (WHsAg) antigens. Twenty-four chronic WHsAg carriers all featured signs of continuous viral replication. Two major immunomorphologic patterns were observed in their livers: 1) portal hepatitis in which WHcAg accumulated in the cytoplasm and WHsAg was associated with the hepatocyte membrane and 2) periportal hepatitis in which WHcAg shifted toward nuclear localization and WHsAg became mostly intracytoplasmic. Progression from portal to periportal hepatitis, observed in 7 woodchucks, appeared to be induced by a partial recovery of specific immune reactivity to WHV, insufficient, however, to interrupt WHV replication. Deposits of WHsAg and immunoglobulins were present in the kidney and spleen of animals with severe hepatitis.
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Ponzetto A, Cote PJ, Popper H, Hoyer BH, London WT, Ford EC, Bonino F, Purcell RH, Gerin JL. Transmission of the hepatitis B virus-associated delta agent to the eastern woodchuck. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1984; 81:2208-12. [PMID: 6585793 PMCID: PMC345467 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.81.7.2208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
delta agent of human origin was inoculated into four woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). The animals developed delta infections with serologic patterns similar to those previously observed in human and chimpanzee infections. delta antigen was detected transiently in serum and liver and was followed by seroconversion to anti-delta antibody. Analogous to the chimpanzee model of delta infection, serum and hepatocyte markers of WHV were suppressed in the woodchuck during acute delta infection. The suppression of WHV DNA in serum was evident only during the time of delta-antigen positivity, while the inhibition of other WHV markers was more protracted. The delta antigen in woodchuck sera circulated as an internal component of a particle similar in size to the human delta particle (36-nm diameter) and was encapsidated by the woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen; delta antigen from infected woodchuck and chimpanzee livers had similar biophysical properties. Histologic analysis showed that experimental delta infection is associated with a transient acute hepatitis in woodchucks and loss of hepatocytes carrying WHV antigens. The lesions differed from the conspicuous hepatitis associated with reappearance of WHV replication. Hepatitis B-like viruses, therefore, appear to provide the requisite helper functions for delta replication and the woodchuck represents a useful model for study of the virology and pathology of the delta agent.
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Cote PJ, Engle RE, Langer CA, Ponzetto A, Gerin JL. Antigenic analysis of woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen with site-specific radioimmunoassays. J Virol 1984; 49:701-8. [PMID: 6199511 PMCID: PMC255527 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.49.3.701-708.1984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies to five nonoverlapping antigenic domains of woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen (WHsAg) were used to develop site-specific radioimmunoassays. The assays were based on the solid-phase sandwich principle in which different combinations of individual domain-specific antibodies were used as immunoadsorbents and radioiodinated probes. Over 85% of the combinations tested were able to detect serum WHsAg, including those using the same antibody as immunoadsorbent and probe. The limits for antigen detection in one site-specific system ranged between 16 and 80 ng of WHsAg per ml. The antigenic similarity of serum WHsAg from 13 colony woodchucks was shown with several combination assay systems. WHsAg was equally immunoreactive in these assay systems whether obtained by immunoaffinity chromatography or standard rate zone centrifugation methods. Further site-specific analysis demonstrated that Formalin treatment of purified antigen did not affect the immunoreactivity of these WHsAg sites.
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Chomel B, Trepo C, Pichoud C, Jacquet C, Boulay P, Joubert L. [Spontaneous and experimental infection of alpine marmots (Marmota marmota) by the North American woodchuck hepatitis virus (Marmota monax). Initial results]. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 1984; 7:179-94. [PMID: 6532649 DOI: 10.1016/0147-9571(84)90024-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Summer's discovery in 1978 of a DNA virus, very close to human Hepatitis B virus in a woodchuck population in the U.S.A. (Pennsylvania) was a confirmation of the first description made by Snyder at Penrose Research Laboratory (Philadelphia). It was the first animal model of human B hepatitis infection. The comparative study of morphological, ecological and ethological characteristics of the marmot (Marmota marmota) and the woodchuck (Marmota monax) enables an easy distinction between these two species. The natural infection of M. monax by the WHV shows that the woodchuck is a good model for human B hepatitis and should be extended to M. marmota. A sample of 24 marmots caught in the Alpes of Haute-Provence has not revealed any spontaneous infection in these animals by the woodchuck virus. The failure of experimental inoculation of the marmot (24 animals) with the WHV confirms the refractory status of this species (no viremia and very low and short serological response with or without an immunosuppressive treatment). These preliminary results require a confirmation in other animals of different age and geographical region and also by using more specific tests such as molecular hybridization, research on DNA polymerase and direct transfection trials.
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Cote PJ, Dapolito GM, Shih JW, Gerin JL. Surface antigenic determinants of mammalian "hepadnaviruses" defined by group- and class-specific monoclonal antibodies. J Virol 1982; 42:135-42. [PMID: 6177867 PMCID: PMC256054 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.42.1.135-142.1982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis B-like viruses (human hepatitis B virus, woodchuck hepatitis virus, ground squirrel hepatitis virus, and duck hepatitis B virus) are hepatotropic DNA viruses which have been referred to collectively as "hepadnaviruses." Using a murine monoclonal antibody (101-2) to the surface antigen of woodchuck hepatitis virus, we have shown that the surface antigens of mammalian hepadnaviruses (HBsAg, WHsAg, and GSHsAg) are antigenically related via a common determinant (HV/101). Furthermore, analysis with other monoclonal antibodies to WHsAg revealed that WHsAg and GHsAg are antigenically distinct, although the antigens had more determinants in common with each other than with HBsAg. The hepadnavirus group-specific antibody (101-2) reacted with HBsAg subtypic variants in a group-specific rather than subtype-specific manner. In conjunction with observations with an HBsAg-specific, group-reactive monoclonal antibody (BX259), the present data suggest that there are at least two group-reactive epitopes of HBsAg: one which is virus specific (HBV/259) and one which is common to two other mammalian hepadnaviruses (HV/101).
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