A hepatitis C virus genotype 2a subgenomic replicon, JFH-1 replicon, was previously established using the consensus sequence of clone JFH-1 from a patient with fulminant hepatitis and, in a previous report, was indicated to replicate efficiently in Huh7. Here the replication of JFH-1 replicon was tested in HepG2, a human hepatocyte-derived cell line, and in IMY-N9, a cell line developed by fusi...

The regulation mechanism and significance of microRNA-122 (miRNA-122) expression are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DNA methylation on liver-specific miRNA-122 expression, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methylation of the miRNA-122 promoter region was detected through methylation sequencing. The level of miRNA-122 expression was ...

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is the most commonly used therapeutics for the treatment of chronic viral infection. However, many viruses are resistant to IFN-alpha treatment to some degrees through encoding inhibitors of the IFN-alpha producing or signaling pathway. Multiple HCV viral proteins have been reported to be involved in IFN-alpha resistance. To develop a method to screen for factors th...

BACKGROUND Hepcidin is an iron regulatory peptide produced by the liver in response to inflammation and elevated systemic iron. Recent studies suggest that circulating monocytes and resident liver macrophages--Küpffer cells--may influence both basal and inflammatory expression of hepcidin. DESIGN AND METHODS We used an in vitro co-culture model to investigate hepatocyte hepcidin regulation in...

Non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) functions as a cofactor for NS3 by forming a complex with it to augment its enzymic activities. NS4A also forms a complex with other HCV proteins, such as NS4B/NS5A, to facilitate the formation of the viral RNA replication complex on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. In addition to its essential role in HCV replication, NS4A is ...

AIM To evaluate the levels of miR-192-5p in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) models and demonstrate the role of miR-192-5p in lipid accumulation. METHODS Thirty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, which were given a standard diet, a high-fat diet (HFD), and an HFD with injection of liraglutide. At the end of 16 weeks, hepatic miR-192-5p and stearoyl-CoA desat...

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection results in progressive liver fibrosis leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The mechanism for this remains unclear but hepatocyte apoptosis is thought to play a major role. Hepatocyte apoptosis in human liver tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin 18 (M30 CytoDEATH) and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). In vitro studies...

Recognition of virus infections by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), and melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 (MDA5), activates signaling pathways, leading to the induction of inflammatory cytokines that limit viral replication. To determine the effects of PRR-mediated innate immune response on hepatitis B vir...

The chemokine CXCL-8 (interleukin-8) is induced by many viruses, including hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the current study, we examined CXCL-8 levels in the context of acute and chronic HCV replication in vitro. Two different small interfering RNAs were used to silence CXCL-8 mRNA and protein expression in Huh7 and BB7 replicon cells. HCV RNA synthesis in BB7 cells was inhibited by CXCL-8 knockdo...

Golgi protein 73 (GP73), which is up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has recently been identified as a novel serum marker for HCC diagnosis. Several reports also noted the increased levels of GP73 expression in chronic liver disease in patients with acute hepatitis of various etiologies, chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and alcoholic liver disease. The molecular mechanisms...