scholarly journals Induction of Hepatitis C Virus E1 Envelope Protein-Specific Immune Response Can Be Enhanced by Mutation of N-Glycosylation Sites

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (24) ◽  
pp. 12088-12097 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fournillier ◽  
C. Wychowski ◽  
D. Boucreux ◽  
T. F. Baumert ◽  
J.-C. Meunier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Deglycosylation of viral glycoproteins has been shown to influence the number of available epitopes and to modulate immune recognition of antigens. We investigated the role played by N-glycans in the immunogenicity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) E1 envelope glycoprotein, a naturally poor immunogen. Eight plasmids were engineered, encoding E1 protein mutants in which the four N-linked glycosylation sites of the protein were mutated separately or in combination. In vitro expression studies showed an influence of N-linked glycosylation on expression efficiency, instability, and/or secretion of the mutated proteins. Immunogenicity of the E1 mutants was studied in BALB/c mice following intramuscular and intraepidermal injection of the plasmids. Whereas some mutations had no or only minor effects on the antibody titers induced, mutation of the fourth glycosylation site (N4) significantly enhanced the anti-E1 humoral response in terms of both seroconversion rates and antibody titers. Moreover, antibody induced by the N4 mutant was able to recognize HCV-like particles with higher titers than those induced by the wild-type construct. Epitope mapping indicated that the E1 mutant antigens induced antibody directed at two major domains: one, located at amino acids (aa) 313 to 332, which is known to be reactive with sera from HCV patients, and a second one, located in the N-terminal domain of E1 (aa 192 to 226). Analysis of the induced immune cellular response confirmed the induction of gamma interferon-producing cells by all mutants, albeit to different levels. These results show that N-linked glycosylation can limit the antibody response to the HCV E1 protein and reveal a potential vaccine candidate with enhanced immunogenicity.

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 3085-3092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chieh Ma ◽  
Cheng-Hung Ke ◽  
Tsai-Yuan Hsieh ◽  
Shih-Yen Lo

The interaction between the hepatitis C virus capsid protein and the envelope protein E1 has been demonstrated previously in vivo. To determine the binding region of the E1 protein with the capsid protein, this interaction was characterized in vitro. This study shows that the interaction between these proteins should occur in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane rather than in the cytosol and that the first hydrophobic domain of the E1 protein (aa 261–291) is important for the interaction with the capsid protein.


2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 1013-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Malcolm ◽  
R. Liu ◽  
F. Lahser ◽  
S. Agrawal ◽  
B. Belanger ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCleavage of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) polyprotein by the viral NS3 protease releases functional viral proteins essential for viral replication. Recent studies by Foy and coworkers strongly suggest that NS3-mediated cleavage of host factors may abrogate cellular response to alpha interferon (IFN-α) (E. Foy, K. Li, R. Sumpter, Jr., Y.-M. Loo, C. L. Johnson, C. Wang, P. M. Fish, M. Yoneyama, T. Fujita, S. M. Lemon, and M. Gale, Jr., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA102:2986-2991, 2005, and E. Foy, K. Li, C. Wang, R. Sumpter, Jr., M. Ikeda, S. M. Lemon, and M. Gale, Jr., Science300:1145-1148, 2003). Blockage of NS3 protease activity therefore is expected to inhibit HCV replication by both direct suppression of viral protein production as well as by restoring host responsiveness to IFN. Using structure-assisted design, a ketoamide inhibitor, SCH 503034, was generated which demonstrated potent (overall inhibition constant, 14 nM) time-dependent inhibition of the NS3 protease in cell-free enzyme assays as well as robust in vitro activity in the HCV replicon system, as monitored by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR analysis. Continuous exposure of replicon-bearing cell lines to six times the 90% effective concentration of SCH 503034 for 15 days resulted in a greater than 4-log reduction in replicon RNA. The combination of SCH 503034 with IFN was more effective in suppressing replicon synthesis than either compound alone, supporting the suggestion of Foy and coworkers that combinations of IFN with protease inhibitors would lead to enhanced therapeutic efficacy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (13) ◽  
pp. 8400-8409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Goffard ◽  
Nathalie Callens ◽  
Birke Bartosch ◽  
Czeslaw Wychowski ◽  
François-Loïc Cosset ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) encodes two viral envelope glycoproteins. E1 contains 4 or 5 N-linked glycosylation sites and E2 contains up to 11, with most of the sites being well conserved, suggesting that they play an essential role in some functions of these proteins. For this study, we used retroviral pseudotyped particles harboring mutated HCV envelope glycoproteins to study these glycans. The mutants were named with an N followed by a number related to the relative position of the potential glycosylation site in each glycoprotein (E1N1 to E1N4 for E1 mutants and E2N1 to E2N11 for E2 mutants). The characterization of these mutants allowed us to define three phenotypes. For the first group (E1N3, E2N3, E2N5, E2N6, E2N7, and E2N9), the infectivities of the mutants were close to that of the wild type. The second group (E1N1, E1N2, E1N4, E2N1, and E2N11) contained mutants that were still infectious but whose infectivities were reduced to <50% that of the wild type. The third group (E2N2, E2N4, E2N8, and E2N10) contained mutants that had almost totally lost infectivity. The absence of infectivity of the E2N8 and E2N10 mutants was due to the lack of incorporation of the E1E2 heterodimer into HCVpp, which was due to misfolding of the heterodimer, as shown by immunoprecipitation with conformation-sensitive antibodies and by a CD81 pull-down assay. The absence of infectivity of the E2N2 and E2N4 mutants indicated that these two glycans are involved in controlling HCV entry. Altogether, the data indicate that some glycans of HCV envelope glycoproteins play a major role in protein folding and others play a role in HCV entry.


2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (08) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hilgard ◽  
R Bröring ◽  
M Trippler ◽  
S Viazov ◽  
G Gerken ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 6373-6380 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Pieroni ◽  
E Santolini ◽  
C Fipaldini ◽  
L Pacini ◽  
G Migliaccio ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mark G. Swain ◽  
John L. Wallace ◽  
D. Lorne Tyrrell ◽  
José Cabanillas ◽  
Steven K. H. Aung ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a Peruvian botanical formulation for treating disorders of hepatic function and gastric mucosal integrity. The formulation A4+ (Sabell Corporation) contains extracts of Curcuma longa rhizome, Cordia lutea flower, and Annona muricata leaf. Individually these plants have been used as traditional remedies for liver disease. We report the efficacy of A4+ and its components using a variety of in vitro and in vivo disease models. The methods used included tests for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activity as well as mouse models of liver disease, including Concanavalin A-induced immune-mediated hepatitis and a bile duct ligation model for evaluating sickness behaviour associated with liver disease. Rat models were used to evaluate the gastric mucosal protective property of A4+ following indomethacin challenge and to evaluate its anti-inflammatory action in an “air pouch” model. In all tests, A4+ proved to be more effective than placebo. A4+ was antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and diminished Hepatitis C virus replication in vitro. In animal models, A4+ was shown to protect the liver from immune-mediated hepatitis, improve behavioural function in animals with late stage liver disease, and protect the rat gastric mucosa from ulceration following NSAID exposure. We conclude that A4+ ameliorated many aspects of liver injury, inhibited hepatitis C virus replication, and protected the gastric mucosa from NSAIDs. These varied beneficial properties appear to result from positive interactions between the three constituent herbs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 436-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Ogura ◽  
Yukiyo Toyonaga ◽  
Izuru Ando ◽  
Kunihiro Hirahara ◽  
Tsutomu Shibata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTJTK-853, a palm site-binding NS5B nonnucleoside polymerase inhibitor, shows antiviral activityin vitroand in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. Here, we report the results of genotypic and phenotypic analyses of resistant variants in 24 HCV genotype 1-infected patients who received JTK-853 (800, 1,200, or 1,600 mg twice daily or 1,200 mg three times daily) in a 3-day monotherapy. Viral resistance in NS5B was investigated using HCV RNA isolated from serum specimens from the patients. At the end of treatment (EOT) with JTK-853, the amino acid substitutions M414T (methionine [M] in position 414 at baseline was replaced with threonine [T] at EOT), C445R (cysteine [C] in position 445 at baseline was replaced with arginine [R] at EOT), Y448C/H (tyrosine [Y] in position 448 at baseline was replaced with cysteine [C] or histidine [H] at EOT), and L466F (leucine [L] in position 466 at baseline was replaced with phenylalanine [F] at EOT), which are known to be typical resistant variants of nonnucleoside polymerase inhibitors, were observed in a clonal sequencing analysis. These substitutions were also selected by a treatment with JTK-853in vitro, and the 50% effective concentration of JTK-853 in the M414T-, C445F-, Y448H-, and L466V-harboring replicons attenuated the susceptibility by 44-, 5-, 6-, and 21-fold, respectively, compared with that in the wild-type replicon (Con1). These findings suggest that amino acid substitutions of M414T, C445R, Y448C/H, and L466F are thought to be viral resistance mutations in HCV-infected patients receiving JTK-853 in a 3-day monotherapy.


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