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Domovitz T, Ayoub S, Werbner M, Alter J, Izhaki Tavor L, Yahalom-Ronen Y, Tikhonov E, Meirson T, Maman Y, Paran N, Israely T, Dessau M, Gal-Tanamy M. HCV Infection Increases the Expression of ACE2 Receptor, Leading to Enhanced Entry of Both HCV and SARS-CoV-2 into Hepatocytes and a Coinfection State. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0115022. [PMID: 36314945 PMCID: PMC9769977 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01150-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest the enhancement of liver injury in COVID-19 patients infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatocytes express low levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor, raising the possibility of HCV-SARS-CoV-2 coinfection in the liver. This work aimed to explore whether HCV and SARS-CoV-2 coinfect hepatocytes and the interplay between these viruses. We demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 coinfects HCV-infected Huh7.5 (Huh7.5HCV) cells. Both viruses replicated efficiently in the coinfected cells, with HCV replication enhanced in coinfected compared to HCV-mono-infected cells. Strikingly, Huh7.5HCV cells were eight fold more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses than naive Huh7.5 cells, suggesting enhanced SARS-CoV-2 entry into HCV-preinfected hepatocytes. In addition, we observed increased binding of spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein to Huh7.5HCV cells, as well as enhanced cell-to-cell fusion of Huh7.5HCV cells with spike-expressing Huh7.5 cells. We explored the mechanism of enhanced SARS-CoV-2 entry and identified an increased ACE2 mRNA and protein levels in Huh7.5HCV cells, primary hepatocytes, and in data from infected liver biopsies obtained from database. Importantly, higher expression of ACE2 increased HCV infection by enhancing its binding to the host cell, underscoring its role in the HCV life cycle as well. Transcriptome analysis revealed that shared host signaling pathways were induced in HCV-SARS-CoV-2 coinfection. This study revealed complex interactions between HCV and SARS-CoV-2 infections in hepatocytes, which may lead to the increased liver damage recently reported in HCV-positive COVID-19 patients. IMPORTANCE Here, we provide the first experimental evidence for the coexistence of SARS-CoV-2 infection with HCV, and the interplay between them. The study revealed a complex relationship of enhancement between the two viruses, where HCV infection increased the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2, thus facilitating SARS-CoV-2 entry, and potentially, also HCV entry. Thereafter, SARS-CoV-2 infection enhanced HCV replication in hepatocytes. This study may explain the aggravation of liver damage that was recently reported in COVID-19 patients with HCV coinfection and suggests preinfection with HCV as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. Moreover, it highlights the possible importance of HCV treatment for coinfected patients. In a broader view, these findings emphasize the importance of identifying coinfecting pathogens that increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and that may accelerate COVID-19-related co-morbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Domovitz
- Molecular Virology Lab, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Samer Ayoub
- Molecular Virology Lab, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Michal Werbner
- Molecular Virology Lab, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Joel Alter
- The Laboratory of Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Lee Izhaki Tavor
- The Laboratory of Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Yfat Yahalom-Ronen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Evgeny Tikhonov
- The Lab of Genomic Instability and Cancer, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Tomer Meirson
- The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
- Davidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Yaakov Maman
- The Lab of Genomic Instability and Cancer, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Moshe Dessau
- The Laboratory of Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Meital Gal-Tanamy
- Molecular Virology Lab, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
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Impact of COVID-19 in Chronic Viral Hepatitis B Patients on Virological, Clinical, and Paraclinical Aspects. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2022. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm-127312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by an infection in the respiratory tract leading to extrapulmonary manifestations, including dysregulation of the immune system and hepatic injury. Objectives: Given the high prevalence of viral hepatitis and a few studies carried out on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and hepatitis B virus (HBV), this study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in the northeast region of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the blood samples were collected from 93 CHB patients registered in the Patient Detection Data Bank of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran, and 62 healthy individuals as controls. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was adopted to detect COVID-19 infection in all the participants’ nasopharyngeal samples. All the participants were subjected to anti-hepatitis C virus, anti-hepatitis delta virus, and liver function tests. Then, HBV deoxyribonucleic acid load was detected in CHB patients. The collected data were analyzed by statistical tests using SPSS software (version 20). A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In this study, 14% (13/93) and 32.25% (20/62) of CHB patients and control individuals were infected with COVID-19, respectively. The mean age of CHB patients was 39.69 ± 19.58 years, and 71% of them were female. The risk of developing COVID-19 in healthy controls was observed to be 2.3 times higher than in patients with CHB (0.95% confidence interval: 1.242 - 4.290). On the other hand, the mean values of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in CHB patients superinfected with COVID-19 were higher than other participants. Out of 35.4% of patients with viral hepatitis B that were taking antiviral drugs, only 5.4% had COVID-19. Conclusions: Although CHB infection did not predispose COVID-19 patients to more severe outcomes, the data of this study suggest that antiviral agents also decreased susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Alternatively, careful assessment of hepatic manifestations and chronic viral hepatitis infections in COVID-19 patients can lead to more favorable health outcomes.
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