丙型肝炎病毒感染过程中其NS3/4A蛋白酶切割线粒体抗病毒信号蛋白的动态过程

已知丙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis C virus,HCV)可通过其蛋白酶NS3/4A切割线粒体抗病毒信号蛋白(mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein,MAVS)来逃逸天然免疫识别,但尚不清楚其切割动力学及切割在抑制干扰素中的作用。本研究旨在细胞模型中探讨HCV感染过程中病毒复制建立及病毒NS3/4A切割MAVS的动态过程,探究NS3/4A切割MAVS对病毒逃逸宿主天然免疫建立感染的贡献。首先构建基于绿色荧光蛋白(green fluorescent protein,GFP)的MAVS切割报告系统(GFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462),用 HCV Jc1-Gluc 感染Huh7.5/GFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462细胞。结果显示,病毒复制早期MAVS切割效率较低;NS3/4A高效切割MAVS发生于HCV复制晚期,且其切割效率与NS3蛋白水平相关。利用带有GFP ypet的HCV报告病毒Jc1-378-1感染Huh7.5/RFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462细胞,在单细胞水平观察HCV感染阳性细胞中MAVS被切割情况,发现HCV复制细胞中仅部分细胞MAVS被切割。进一步研究发现,不同基因型NS3/4A切割MAVS的效率仅与NS3表达水平相关。以上结果提示,HCV蛋白酶NS3/4A切割MAVS依赖NS3/4A蛋白在病毒复制过程中的累积,对在病毒复制早期逃逸宿主天然免疫建立感染可能无显著贡献。     

利用丙型肝炎病毒复制子模型检测重组人λ2干扰素的体外活性

目的:利用丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)复制子细胞模型,体外研究重组人λ2干扰素(hIFNλ2)对HCV复制子的抑制作用。方法:构建重组质粒pcDNA3.1-hIFNλ2-HA,转染293T细胞,表达带有HA标签的hIFNλ2,表达后的上清通过Western印迹检测,然后稀释至不同浓度后作用于带有HCV复制子的Huh7.5细胞系,每隔24h取样并更换培养液,通过报告基因检测hIFNλ2对HCV复制子的抑制作用。结果:构建了pcDNA3.1-hIFNλ2-HA真核表达重组体,并在293T细胞中表达出hIFNλ2,该蛋白能有效抑制HCV复制子的复制。结论:hIFNλ2对HCV复制子具有抑制作用。     

α-Actinin影响丙型肝炎病毒非结构蛋白与脂筏的关联及复制

本文旨在探讨α-actinin参与丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)复制的机制。将α-actinin转染Huh7.5细胞,用JFH1感染,发现过表达α-actinin可显著增加HCVRNA水平及非结构蛋白表达,感染性HCV颗粒也同时增多。膜漂浮实验显示,α-actinin可与HCV非结构蛋白NS5A共定位于脂筏。抑制内源性α-actinin表达,可使复制子细胞内NS5A表达减少,且对非离子去污剂敏感而从脂筏脱落。免疫荧光实验显示,NS5A与内质网标志分子calnexin核周共定位消失。以上结果提示,α-actinin可通过影响非结构蛋白与脂筏的关联而参与HCV RNA的合成,为临床治疗及研制新型抗HCV药物提供理论依据和实验基础。     

干扰素在肝癌细胞Huh7.0中诱导SAMHD1抑制HBV复制

目的:研究干扰素调节宿主限制性因子SAMHD1的表达而抑制HBV复制的分子机制。方法:首先不同剂量的干扰素α、β和γ处理Huh7. 0细胞,通过荧光定量PCR和Western blot检测SAMHD1在转录和翻译后的表达水平;进一步通过siRNA干扰内源性的SAMHD1,再评价干扰素α、β对病毒的抑制效应;最后通过免疫荧光检测了干扰素α诱导内源性SAMHD1的细胞定位及Southern blot检测了SAMHD1细胞定位对病毒复制的影响。结果:在Huh7. 0细胞中,SAMHD1的RNA水平和蛋白表达明显受干扰素α和β的诱导升高;干扰SAMHD1后干扰素α和β对HBV复制的抑制作用消失; SAMHD1定位在细胞核内,干扰素α诱导SAMHD1同样定位在细胞核内,缺失核定位信号后SAMHD1丧失了其抑制病毒复制的作用。结论:在Huh7细胞中,干扰素α、β能诱导SAMHD1表达上调来抑制HBV的复制,SAMDH1的抗病毒作用依赖于其细胞定位。     

Viperin蛋白可通过影响非结构蛋白与脂筏的关联抑制丙型肝炎病毒复制

目前, 对丙型肝炎病毒( HCV) 感染的患者主要采用以Ⅰ型干扰素为主的治疗方案, 但干扰素抑制病毒的具体机制仍然不详。本研究通过实时聚合酶链反应( PCR) 检测HCV的RNA 水平, 蛋白免疫印迹法检测HCV 非结构蛋白的表达, 以及膜飘浮实验检测非结构蛋白与脂筏的关联性, 探讨干扰素诱导蛋白Viperin 抑制HCV 复制的机制。结果显示, 在体外HCV 亚基因复制子( replicon) 及感染细胞模型中过量表达Viperin 可显著降低细胞内HCV 非结构蛋白的表达及RNA 的水平。膜漂浮实验发现, 过量表达的Viperin 可通过干扰HCV 非结构蛋白NS3、NS5A 与细胞内脂筏膜的关联, 使其对非离子去污剂敏感。进一步研究发现, 与脂筏膜结构组成相关的法尼基合成酶( FPPS) 可通过与Viperin 相互作用, 部分反转Viperin 的抗HCV 复制效应。以上结果提出了一种新的干扰素抗HCV 机制, 即干扰素诱导蛋白Viperin 可通过影响非结构蛋白与脂筏的关联, 干扰HCV 复制复合体的稳定性, 从而抑制HCV 的复制。     

丙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白稳定表达肝癌细胞株的构建及生物学研究

旨在构建稳定表达HCV核心蛋白的稳定细胞系Huh7-Core并进行初步的生物学功能研究.利用PCR技术扩增HCV核心蛋白基因,通过酶切连接反应将目的基因克隆至载体pSEB-3Flag中,将重组质粒pSEB-3F-Core和辅助质粒pAmpho共转染Huh7细胞,经过Blasticidine抗性筛选,建立稳定表达HCV核心蛋白的肝癌细胞系Huh7-Core.采用RT-PCR、Western blot鉴定Huh7-Core细胞株中核心蛋白的稳定表达并采用MTS、结晶紫试验观察Huh7-Core稳定细胞株的增殖情况.结果显示,成功构建了表达HCV核心蛋白的稳定细胞株Huh7-Core.结晶紫、MTS试验证实Huh7-Core细胞较Huh7-3Flag细胞增殖速度增快,表达HCV核心蛋白的Huh7-Core稳定细胞株构建成功,Core稳定表达后可促进Huh7细胞生长速度.     

丙型肝炎病毒细胞培养系统研究进展

由于缺少丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)细胞培养系统,因此对其生活周期、感染机制至今仍不十分清楚,严重阻碍了相关治疗药物的研制。HCV复制子仅能在Huh7等极少数细胞中短暂复制且量低。1999年建立了亚基因组复制子,使人们有机会对其进行深入研究,但须人为引入碱基突变。最近建立的全基因组复制子无须引入突变且可形成病毒粒子,是一项重大突破。本文概述了HCV细胞培养系统的研究进展。     

双链RNA激活的蛋白激酶(PKR)的克隆表达及其对丙型肝炎病毒蛋白合成的抑制

α干扰素为治疗丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)感染的主要药物,但部分患者呈干扰素耐受而不能获得持久的病毒阴转,其可能的原因之一是病毒通过其编码的蛋白(NS5A及E2)抑制干扰素诱导的抗病毒效应分子——双链RNA激活的蛋白激酶(PKR)的活性.而关于PKR是否在IFN-α抗HCV的机理中起抑制作用目前仍有争议.为研究PKR对HCV蛋白合成环节是否有抑制作用,通过构建野生型 PKR真核表达载体（pPKRwt）及主要起负性调节作用的缺失突变PKR真核表达载体（pPKRΔ6）,并将pPKRwt /pPKRΔ6 与HCV复制子RNA同时转染Huh7细胞进行共表达, 用Western印迹检测 HCV IRES 下游的NPTⅡ蛋白表达水平,与转染空载体的对照细胞及单用IFN-α处理的细胞相比较.结果显示：表达PKRwt的细胞中NPTⅡ蛋白水平低于转染空载体的对照细胞,但高于经IFN-α单独处理的细胞;表达PKRΔ6的细胞中NPTⅡ蛋白水平与对照细胞无明显差别,但PKRΔ能部分抵消IFN-α的抑制作用,说明在IFN-α抑制HCV IRES指导的蛋白合成中,PKR有一定的抑制作用,但可能还有其它的PKR非依赖机制参与.     

A型肉毒毒素受体结合区Hc在重组SFV复制子载体中的表达

为了在哺乳动物细胞中表达A型肉毒毒素Hc抗原, 构建了含A型肉毒毒素受体结合区Hc基因的基于RNA和DNA的重组Semliki森林病毒(Semliki forest virus, SFV)复制子表达载体。RNA和DNA复制子载体转染BHK21细胞后, 经间接免疫荧光、Western印迹和ELISA检测, 结果表明非分泌型和分泌型的Hc抗原在细胞中都得到了有效地表达; 而且复制子表达载体与辅助病毒载体共转染均可制备高滴度的重组病毒颗粒, 该重组病毒颗粒感染细胞后, 也都能表达Hc抗原。以上结果表明, 基于RNA和DNA的重组SFV复制子表达载体在细胞中均可有效地表达Hc抗原和制备具有感染能力并能表达Hc抗原的重组病毒颗粒。基于RNA和DNA的重组SFV复制子表达载体的构建和含A型肉毒毒素受体结合区Hc基因的重组病毒颗粒的获得, 为进一步观察SFV复制子疫苗的免疫原性奠定了基础, 从而为A型肉毒毒素新型疫苗的研制提供了新途经。     

丙型肝炎病毒F蛋白缺失对病毒复制及感染性的影响

探索了F蛋白缺失及核心蛋白(Core)二级结构改变对丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)复制和感染性的影响．利用定点突变方法,将J6JFH1的核心基因引进5个终止密码子以中断F蛋白的表达,从而获得F蛋白缺失的病毒复制子J6JFH1/ΔF．体外制备RNA转录体,并电穿孔转染Huh7.5.1细胞,采用免疫荧光、实时荧光定量PCR方法以及病毒感染等方法,观察F蛋白缺失对病毒复制、蛋白质表达及转染细胞上清感染性病毒颗粒产生的影响．在此基础上,构建5个单一突变病毒体,对HCV核心蛋白进行二级结构分析,观察核心蛋白二级结构对HCV复制和翻译的影响．结果显示,转染48 h后,J6JFH1/ΔF与野生型J6JFH1相比,J6JFH1/ΔF转染阳性细胞数明显降低,细胞内HCV RNA 水平降低约95%,J6JFH1/ΔF转染后不同时间点细胞上清中HCV RNA拷贝数和病毒颗粒也明显降低．5个单一突变体不影响核心基因二级结构,病毒在细胞内复制和感染性与野生型水平一致．J6JFH1/ΔF所产生的改变可能是由于5处突变导致核心基因二级结构改变而造成的．结果说明,HCV F蛋白缺失不影响病毒的复制翻译及病毒颗粒的包装释放,核心蛋白二级结构的改变对病毒复制和翻译则产生较大影响．     

CD81 expression is important for the permissiveness of Huh7 cell clones for heterogeneous hepatitis C virus infection

Huh7 cells constitute a permissive cell line for cell culture of hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles. However, our Huh7 line shows limited permissiveness for HCV. Thus, in this study we set out to determine which host factors are important for conferring permissiveness. To analyze the limited permissiveness of our Huh7 cells, 70 clones were obtained after single-cell cloning of parental Huh7 cells. The cloned Huh7 cells exhibited various levels of HCV pseudoparticles and JFH-1 virus infection efficiency, and some clones were not permissive. A subgenomic replicon was then transfected into the cloned Huh7 cells. While the replication efficiencies differed among the cloned Huh7 cells, these efficiencies did not correlate with infectious permissibility. Flow cytometry showed that CD81, scavenger receptor class B type I, and low-density-lipoprotein receptor expression on the cell surfaces of the Huh7 clones differed among the clones. Interestingly, we found that all of the permissive cell clones expressed CD81 while the nonpermissive cell clones did not. To confirm the importance of CD81 expression for HCV permissiveness, CD81 was then transiently and stably expressed on a nonpermissive Huh7 cell clone, which was consequently restored to HCV infection permissiveness. Furthermore, permissiveness was down-regulated upon transfection of CD81 silencing RNA into a CD81-positive cell clone. In conclusion, CD81 expression is an important determinant of HCV permissiveness of Huh7 cell clones harboring different characteristics.     

Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Phenotypically Distinct Huh7 Cell Lines

In 2005, the first robust hepatitis C virus (HCV) infectious cell culture system was developed based on the HCV genotype 2a JFH-1 molecular clone and the human-derived hepatoma cell line Huh7. Although much effort has been made to dissect and expand the repertoire of JFH-1-derived clones, less attention has been given to the host cell despite the intriguing facts that thus far only Huh7 cells have been found to be highly permissive for HCV infection and furthermore only a limited number of Huh7 cell lines/stocks appear to be fully permissive. As such, we compiled a panel of Huh7 lines from disparate sources and evaluated their permissiveness for HCV infection. We found that although Huh7 lines from different laboratories do vary in morphology and cell growth, the majority (8 out of 9) were highly permissive for infection, as demonstrated by robust HCV RNA and de novo infectious virion production following infection. While HCV RNA levels achieved in the 8 permissive cell lines were relatively equivalent, three Huh7 lines demonstrated higher infectious virion production suggesting these cell lines more efficiently support post-replication event(s) in the viral life cycle. Consistent with previous studies, the single Huh7 line found to be relatively resistant to infection demonstrated a block in HCV entry. These studies not only suggest that the majority of Huh7 cell lines in different laboratories are in fact highly permissive for HCV infection, but also identify phenotypically distinct Huh7 lines, which may facilitate studies investigating the cellular determinants of HCV infection.     

Enhanced RIG-I expression is mediated by interferon regulatory factor-2 in peripheral blood B cells from hepatitis C virus-infected patients

Chronic hepatitis C patients carry the risk of developing into B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B-NHL). To clarify the mechanisms underlying this association, we first investigated the molecular markers of B cells from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. CD19-positive cells were isolated as B cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with the hepatitis C virus and IFN-related gene expression was analyzed. We found that RIG-I and IRF-2 expression were up-regulated in CD19-positive cells from the infected patients. In vitro luciferase reporter analysis using human cell lines indicated that IRF-2 activates the human RIG-I promoter. IRF-2 expression levels were enhanced by HCV cDNA transfection in Huh7 cells. In addition, we observed much less induction in the interferon stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) after Sendai virus (SenV) stimulation of CD19-positive cells from infected patients versus healthy controls, thereby suggesting an impairment of RIG-I downstream signaling in HCV-infected patients. Hence, we found that the failure of the anti-viral response with enhanced IRF-2 oncogenic protein expression in blood B cells from HCV-infected patients. Our results provide important information to better understand the role of IRFs in the cause of HCV chronic infection.     

Long noncoding RNA UCA1 regulates HCV replication and antiviral response via miR-145-5p/SOCS7/IFN pathway

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection involves a variety of viral and host factors, which leads to the dysregulation of number of relevant genes including long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs). LncRNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) has been reported to be upregulated in HCV-infected individuals. In a bid to elucidate on the contribution of UCA1 on HCV replication, we infected Huh7.5 cells with cell culture-derived HCV and found that UCA1 expression was elevated in time- and dose-dependent manners. Functionally, UCA1 knockdown by siRNA upregulated interferon (IFN) responses, thereby increasing the expression of interferon-stimulating genes (ISGs), and subsequently suppressing HCV replication. Bioinformatics analysis and experimental results indicated that, functioning as competitive endogenous RNA, UCA1 could sponge microRNA (miR)-145-5p, which targeted suppressor of cytokine signaling 7 (SOCS7) mRNA and subsequently mediated SOCS7 silencing. Moreover, SOCS7 protein exerted an inhibitory effect on IFN responses, thereby facilitating HCV replication. Taken together, at first, our findings demonstrate that UCA1 can counteract the expression of miR-145-5p, thereby upregulating the level of SOCS7, and in turn leading to the suppression of antiviral response in Huh7.5 cells.     

Persistent replication of hepatitis C virus replicons expressing the beta-lactamase reporter in subpopulations of highly permissive Huh7 cells

Progress toward development of better therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been hampered by poor understanding of HCV biology and the lack of biological assays suitable for drug screening. Here we describe a powerful HCV replication system that employs HCV replicons expressing the beta-lactamase reporter (bla replicons) and subpopulations of Huh7 cells that are more permissive (or "enhanced") to HCV replication than na?ve Huh7 cells. Enhanced cells represent a small fraction of permissive cells present among na?ve Huh7 cells that is enriched during selection with replicons expressing the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (neo replicons). The level of permissiveness of cell lines harboring neo replicons can vary greatly, and the enhanced phenotype is usually revealed upon removal of the neo replicon with inhibitors of HCV replication. Replicon removal is responsible for increased permissiveness, since this effect could be reproduced either with alpha interferon or with an HCV NS5B inhibitor. Moreover, adaptive mutations present in the replicon genome used during selection do not influence the permissiveness of the resulting enhanced-cell population, suggesting that the mechanisms governing the permissiveness of enhanced cells are independent from viral adaptation. Because the beta-lactamase reporter allows simultaneous quantitation of replicon-harboring cells and reporter activity, it was possible to investigate the relationship between genome replication activity and the frequency with which transfected genomes can establish persistent replication. Our study demonstrates that differences in the replication potential of the viral genome are manifested primarily in the frequency with which persistent replication is established but modestly affect the number of replicons observed per replicon-harboring cell. Replicon copy number was found to vary over a narrow range that may be defined by a minimal number required for persistent maintenance and a maximum that is limited by the availability of essential host factors.     

Establishment of a novel permissive cell line for the propagation of hepatitis C virus by expression of microRNA miR122

The robust cell culture systems for hepatitis C virus (HCV) are limited to those using cell culture-adapted clones (HCV in cell culture [HCVcc]) and cells derived from the human hepatoma cell line Huh7. However, accumulating data suggest that host factors, including innate immunity and gene polymorphisms, contribute to the variation in host response to HCV infection. Therefore, the existing in vitro systems for HCV propagation are not sufficient to elucidate the life cycle of HCV. A liver-specific microRNA, miR122, has been shown to participate in the efficient replication of HCV. In this study, we examined the possibility of establishing a new permissive cell line for HCV propagation by the expression of miR122. A high level of miR122 was expressed by a lentiviral vector placed into human liver cell lines at a level comparable to the endogenous level in Huh7 cells. Among the cell lines that we examined, Hep3B cells stably expressing miR122 (Hep3B/miR122) exhibited a significant enhancement of HCVcc propagation. Surprisingly, the levels of production of infectious particles in Hep3B/miR122 cells upon infection with HCVcc were comparable to those in Huh7 cells. Furthermore, a line of "cured" cells, established by elimination of HCV RNA from the Hep3B/miR122 replicon cells, exhibited an enhanced expression of miR122 and a continuous increase of infectious titers of HCVcc in every passage. The establishment of the new permissive cell line for HCVcc will have significant implications not only for basic HCV research but also for the development of new therapeutics.     

Different responses of two highly permissive cell lines upon HCV infection

The construction of the first infectious clone JFH-1 speeds up the research on hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, Huh7 cell line was the only highly permissive cell line for HCV infection and only a few clones were fully permissive. In this study, two different fully permissive clones of Huh7 cells, Huh7.5.1 and Huh7-Lunet-CD81 (Lunet-CD81) cells were compared for their responses upon HCV infection. The virus replication level was found slightly higher in Huh7.5.1 cells than that in Lunet-CD81 cells. Viability of Huh7.5.1 cells but not of Lunet-CD81 cells was reduced significantly after HCV infection. Further analysis showed that the cell cycle of infected Huh7.5.1 cells was arrested at G1 phase. The G1/S transition was blocked by HCV infection in Huh7.5.1 cells as shown by the cell cycle synchronization analysis. Genes related to cell cycle regulation was modified by HCV infection and gene interaction analysis in GeneSpring GX in Direct Interactions mode highlighted 31 genes. In conclusion, the responses of those two cell lines were different upon HCV infection. HCV infection blocked G1/S transition and cell cycle progress, thus reduced the cell viability in Huh7.5.1 cells but not in Lunet-CD81 cells. Lunet-CD81 cells might be suitable for long term infection studies of HCV.     

Characterization of infectious hepatitis C virus from liver-derived cell lines

The efficient production of infectious HCV from the JFH-1 strain is restricted to the Huh7 cell line and its derivatives. However, the factors involved in this restriction are unknown. In this study, we examined the production of infectious HCV from other liver-derived cell lines, and characterized the produced viruses. Clones of the Huh7, HepG2, and IMY-N9, harboring the JFH-1 full-genomic replicon, were obtained. The supernatant of each cell clone exhibited infectivity for naïve Huh7. Each infectious supernatant was then characterized by sucrose density gradient. For all of the cell lines, the main peak of the HCV-core protein and RNA exhibited at approximately 1.15 g/mL of buoyant density. However, the supernatant from the IMY-N9 differed from that of Huh7 in the ratio of core:RNA at 1.15 g/mL and significant peaks were also observed at lower density. The virus particles produced from the different cell lines may have different characteristics.