Prolonged duck hepatitis B virus replication in duck hepatocytes cocultivated with rat epithelial cells: a useful system for antiviral testing

Coencapsulation of hepatocytes and bone marrow cells: In vitro and in vivo studies

Bioencapsulation of cells is one of the many areas of artificial cells being extensively investigated by centers around the world. This includes the bioencapsulation of hepatocytes. A number of methods have been developed to maintain the specific function and phenotype of the bioencapsulated hepatocytes for in vitro and in vivo applications. These include supplementation of factors in the culture medium; use of appropriate substrates and the co-cultivation of hepatocytes with other type of cells, the so called "feeder cells". These feeder cells can be of liver origin or non-liver origin. We have recently studied the role of bone marrow cells in the maintenance of hepatocytes viability and phenotype by using the coculture of hepatocytes with bone marrow cells (nucleated cells including stem cells), and the coencapsulation of hepatocytes with bone marrow stem cells. This way, the hepatocytes viability and specific function can be maintained significantly longer. In vivo studies of both syngeneic and xenogeneic transplantation show that the hepatocytes viability can be maintained longer when coencapsulated with bone marrow cells. Transplantation of coencapsulated hepatocytes and bone marrow cells enhances the ability of the hepatocytes in correcting congenital hyperbilirubinmia in Gunn rats. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that bone marrow cells can enhance the viability and phenotype maintenance of hepatocytes. Thus, bone marrow cells play an important role as a new type of feeder cells for bioencapsulated hepatocytes for the cellular therapy of liver diseases.

In vitro antihepadnaviral activities of combinations of penciclovir, lamivudine, and adefovir

Penciclovir (9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl)-ethoxymethyl]guanine [PCV]), lamivudine ([-]-beta-L-2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine [3TC]), and adefovir (9-[2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl]-adenine [PMEA]) are potent inhibitors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. Lamivudine has recently received approval for clinical use against chronic human HBV infection, and both PCV and PMEA have undergone clinical trials against HBV in their respective prodrug forms (famciclovir and adefovir dipivoxil [bis-(POM)-PMEA]). Since multidrug combinations are likely to be used to control HBV infection, investigation of potential interactions between PCV, 3TC, and PMEA is important. Primary duck hepatocyte cultures which were either acutely or congenitally infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) were used to investigate in vitro interactions between PCV, 3TC, and PMEA. Here we show that the anti-DHBV effects of all the combinations containing PCV, 3TC, and PMEA are greater than that of each of the individual components and that their combined activities are approximately additive or synergistic. These results may underestimate the potential in vivo usefulness of PMEA-containing combinations, since there is evidence that PMEA has immunomodulatory activity and, at least in the duck model of chronic HBV infection, is capable of inhibiting DHBV replication in cells other than hepatocytes, the latter being unaffected by treatment with either PCV or 3TC. Further investigation of the antiviral activities of these drug combinations is therefore required, particularly since each of the component drugs is already in clinical use.

Residues critical for duck hepatitis B virus neutralization are involved in host cell interaction

To date, no detailed analysis of the neutralization properties of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) has been reported, and it is not clear whether any of the known neutralization epitopes correspond to the viral receptor binding site or to sequences involved in the cell entry pathway. We demonstrate here that antibodies directed against two overlapping peptides (amino acids 83 to 97 and 93 to 107), covering the sequences of most DHBV pre-S neutralizing epitopes, both inhibit virus binding to primary duck hepatocytes and neutralize virus infectivity. An extensive mutagenesis of the motif 88WTP90, which is the shortest sequence of the epitope recognized by the virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) 900 was performed in order to define the amino acids involved in these interactions. Single point mutations within this epitope affected neither virus replication nor infectivity but abolished virus neutralization by MAb 900 completely. Interestingly, mutants with two and three consecutive residue replacements (SIP and SIH) within this epitope retained replication competence but were no longer infectious. The loss of infectivity of SIH and SIP mutant particles was associated with significantly reduced binding to primary duck hepatocytes and could be rescued by trans complementation with wild-type pre-S protein. Taken together, these results indicate that each amino acid of the DHBV pre-S sequence 88WTP90 is critical for recognition by the neutralizing MAb 900 and that replacement of the first two or all three residues strongly reduces virus interaction with hepatocytes and abrogates infectivity. These data imply that the motif 88WTP90 contains key residues which are critical for interaction with both the neutralizing MAb and the host cell.

Antisense therapy of hepatitis B virus infection

Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health problem worldwide. The only established therapy is interferon-a with an efficacy of only 30-40% in highly selected patients. The discovery of animal viruses closely related to the HBV has contributed to active research on antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B. The animal model tested and described in this article are Peking ducks infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). Molecular therapeutic strategies aimed at blocking gene expression include antisense DNA. An antisense oligodeoxynucleotide directed against the 5'-region of the preS gene of DHBV inhibited viral replication and gene expression in vitro in primary duck hepatocytes and in vivo in Peking ducks. These results demonstrate the potential clinical use of antisense DNA as antiviral therapeutics.

Phosphorylation of DHBV pre-S: identification of the major site of phosphorylation and effects of mutations on the virus life cycle

Four potential serine/threonine phosphorylation sites [(S/T)-P motif], designated P1-P4, on the pre-S protein of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) have been mutated. Mutants include single (P2, P3, P4) and double amino acid substitutions (P1 + P2, P3 + P4) and one with all four sites mutated (4P). Serine at position 118 (P3) was identified as the major site of phosphorylation by Western blotting and radioimmunoprecipitation after in vitro cell labeling with [35S]methionine or [33P]orthophosphate. Mutant virions generated by transfection of LMH cells were infectious both in vitro in duck hepatocyte primary cultures and in vivo in Pekin ducks. Intracellular relaxed circular (RC) and covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA syntheses were not affected by the P3 mutation or even the quadruple mutant. Extracellular virus production was slightly increased when the P3 site was mutated. CsCl gradient centrifugation showed no clear difference between mutant and wild-type virus with respect to the ratios of enveloped virus and nucleocapsid particles in hepatocyte culture supernatants. Trypsin or V8 protease digestion with or without NP-40 indicated that phosphorylation of the pre-S domain is not involved in determining the transmembrane topology of DHBV large protein. This phenotypic analysis indicates that DHBV pre-S phosphorylation has no apparent effect on DHBV replication and formation of mature viral particles in duck hepatocyte primary culture and does not affect infectivity in ducklings.

Long-term productive episomal hepatitis B virus replication in primary cultures of adult human hepatocytes infected in vitro

We have previously increased the efficiency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection of human hepatocytes in vitro by using polyethylene glycol. After further documenting by neutralization experiments, this in vitro infection, we used this model to define new culture conditions that would maintain stable episomal replication for several weeks. We found that in the presence of 10% porcine serum and 2% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), high-density cultures survived more than 3 months, while addition of hydrocortisone instead of DMSO resulted in survival of less than 1 month. HBV episomal replication was maintained without any evidence of viral integration into the host genome. The maintenance of HBV replication was demonstrated by: first, stability of the covalently-closed-circular DNA in the nucleus and relaxed circular and single-stranded replicative intermediates in the cytoplasm; second, detection of two major transcripts of 3.5 and 2.1-2.4 kb corresponding to the pregenomic and surface genes respectively; and third, continuous secretion of mature viral particles in the supernatant of infected cells. We showed that under these culture conditions, hepatocytes were blocked in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and did not spontaneously proliferate. Upon hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulation, however, the ability of hepatocytes to divide was demonstrated and was compared in infected and non-infected cells. No change in proliferative capacity and no variation in c-myc and c-jun levels could be found. Hepatocyte survival was not modified in infected cells, confirming that HBV is not cytopathic for normal human hepatocytes. These new culture conditions represent substantial progress in the study of HBV-host cell interactions.

n-Butyrate, a cell cycle blocker, inhibits early amplification of duck hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA after in vitro infection of duck hepatocytes

During chronic hepadnavirus infection, virus persistence depends on the regulation of the pool of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which is the template for transcription of viral RNA species. The development of in vitro infection of duck hepatocyte primary cultures by duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) provides a unique opportunity to study the regulation of cccDNA synthesis. After DHBV in vitro infection, cccDNA is detected 1 day later and is amplified to a high copy number after 1 week in culture. We studied whether this amplification occurs during cell cycle progression of duckling hepatocytes. By using [3H]thymidine incorporation, we found that hepatocytes obtained from 3-week-old ducklings spontaneously entered the S phase of the cell cycle when cultured in serum-free medium without added growth factors. Bromodeoxyuridine labeling confirmed that cellular DNA synthesis took place in more than 50% of parenchymal cells. Cytofluorometry analysis revealed the presence of asynchronous populations and polyploidization processes. The addition of a cell cycle blocker, n-butyrate, completely inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation and blocked duckling hepatocytes in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Simultaneously, butyrate inhibited cccDNA amplification and allowed the establishment of DHBV infection, as demonstrated by the detection of a basal level of cccDNA in treated hepatocytes. Both effects were reversible since active cell DNA synthesis was restored and cccDNA accumulated after drug withdrawal.

2',3'-dideoxy-beta-L-5-fluorocytidine inhibits duck hepatitis B virus reverse transcription and suppresses viral DNA synthesis in hepatocytes, both in vitro and in vivo

beta-L-Nucleoside analogs represent a new class of potent antiviral agents with low cytotoxicity which provide new hope in the therapy of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. We evaluated the anti-HBV activity of 2',3'-dideoxy-beta-L-5-fluorocytidine (beta-L-F-ddC), a beta-L-nucleoside analog derived from 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC), in the duck HBV (DHBV) model. This compound was previously shown to inhibit HBV DNA synthesis in a stably transfected hepatoma cell line (F2215). Using a cell-free system for the expression of an enzymatically active DHBV polymerase, we could demonstrate that the triphosphate form of beta-L-F-ddC does inhibit hepadnavirus reverse transcription. In primary duck hepatocyte culture, beta-L-F-ddC showed a potent inhibitory effect on DHBV DNA synthesis which was concentration dependent. Although beta-L-F-ddC was shown to be less active than ddC against the DHBV reverse transcriptase in vitro, beta-L-F-ddC was a stronger inhibitor in hepatocytes. The oral administration of beta-L-F-ddC in experimentally infected ducklings showed that beta-L-F-ddC is a potent inhibitor of viral replication in vivo. Short-term therapy could not prevent a rebound of viral replication after the drug was withdrawn. Preventive therapy with beta-L-F-ddC could delay the onset of viremia by only 1 day compared with the time to the onset of viremia in the control group. The in vivo inhibitory effect of beta-L-F-ddC was much stronger than that of ddC and was not associated with signs of toxicity. Our data show that beta-L-F-ddC inhibits hepadnavirus reverse transcription and is a strong inhibitor of viral replication both in vitro and in vivo.

Synthesis and antiviral activity of new carbonylphosphonate 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine conjugates

The synthesis of new potential PFA-BCH-189 conjugate analogues is described and their molecular structure clearly identified through NMR and mass spectra techniques. The anti-HIV-1 activity was determined according to the inhibition of syncytium formation in MT-4 cells, while the anti-HBV activity was determined in infected duck hepatocytes. Both antiviral activities of the PFA-BCH-189 conjugates were much lower than those of the parent BCH-189 (2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine) (1). Whereas a prodrug effect, following cleavage and release of the free BCH-189 and PFA, cannot be ruled out, poor cellular permeation of the drug seems to be the most likely reason for the reduced activities against HIV and DHBV. The presence of the PFA moiety appears to be detrimental for both the anti-HIV and anti-DHBV activity of PFA-BCH-189 cases.

The carbocyclic analog of 2'-deoxyguanosine induces a prolonged inhibition of duck hepatitis B virus DNA synthesis in primary hepatocyte cultures and in the liver

The carbocyclic analog of 2'-deoxyguanosine (2'-CDG) is a strong inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA synthesis in HepG2 cells (P.M. Price, R. Banerjee, and G. Acs, Proc. Natl. Acad. USA 86:8543-8544, 1989). We now report that 2'-CDG inhibited duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) DNA synthesis in primary cultures of duck hepatocytes and in experimentally infected ducks. Like foscarnet (phosphonoformic acid [PFA]) and 2'-,3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC), 2'-CDG blocked viral DNA replication in primary hepatocyte cultures when present during an infection but failed to inhibit the DNA repair reaction that occurs during the initiation of infection to convert virion relaxed circular DNA to covalently closed circular DNA, the template for viral mRNA transcription. Moreover, as for PFA and ddC, viral RNA synthesis was detected when infection was initiated in the presence 2'-CDG. In another respect, however, 2'-CDG exhibited antiviral activity unlike that of ddC or PFA: a single 1-day treatment of hepatocytes with 2'-CDG blocked initiation of viral DNA synthesis for at least 8 days, irrespective of whether DHBV infection was carried out at the time of drug treatment or several days later. Furthermore, orally administered 2'-CDG was long-acting against DHBV in experimentally infected ducklings. Virus replication was delayed by up to 4 days in ducklings infected after administration of 2'-CDG. These observations of long-lasting efficacy in vitro and in vivo even after oral administration suggest that this inhibitor or a nucleoside with similar pharmacological properties may be ideal for reducing virus replication in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Effects of 2'-fluorinated arabinosyl-pyrimidine nucleosides on duck hepatitis B virus DNA level in serum and liver of chronically infected ducks

The 2'-fluorinated arabinosyl-pyrimidine nucleosides, 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine (FIAC) and 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-methyluracil (FMAU), are new antiviral compounds with in vitro inhibitory activity against the DNA polymerase of hepadnaviruses. Those compounds also induced permanent inhibition of viral replication in woodchucks chronically infected by woodchuck hepatitis virus. The effects of these antiviral compounds were assessed in ducks chronically infected by duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). Following intraperitoneal administration for 5 days, FMAU (2 mg/kg/day) and FIAC (10 mg/kg/day) induced a transient decrease in DHBV replication, as shown by the decrease in both the serum and liver DHBV DNA level. After stopping therapy, DHBV replication rebounded immediately to the pretreatment level. The supercoiled form of liver viral DNA was found to be less affected by the therapy. By contrast, no obvious antiviral effect was observed with vidarabine monophosphate (ara-AMP) (80 mg/kg/day) therapy. No sign of toxicity was observed during the course of the treatment. These preliminary results confirmed in the DHBV model the higher efficacy of FIAC and FMAU as compared to ara-AMP. Pharmacokinetic studies are needed to explain the differences observed in viral replication in these 2 models of HBV infection.

Replication of hepatitis B virus in differentiated adult rat hepatocytes transfected with cloned viral DNA

The possibility of obtaining expression of human hepatitis B virus (HBV) genes and production of virus particles in normal liver cells from heterologous species like normal adult rat hepatocytes, by transfecting the complete HBV genome, was investigated. Various techniques for hepatocyte transfection were assayed including the usual calcium-phosphate coprecipitation technique, the Pasco and Fagan modified calcium-phosphate procedure, and the lipofection technique. Transfection efficiency was determined by measuring the production of HBV surface antigen under various culture conditions. Transfection was the most efficient when assayed 1 or 2 days after hepatocyte plating at low density. Few variations in the efficiency were observed between the different transfection procedures. We show that under these culture conditions, replication of HBV can be achieved in differentiated adult rat hepatocytes. Synthesis of relaxed circular and single-stranded DNA forms and of viral transcripts including pregenome RNA occurred in the cells whereas viral antigens and mature and immature viral particles were released into the culture medium. The production of viral proteins was always higher in hepatocytes cocultivated with rat liver epithelial cells and maintained at a low density. In contrast, viral replication was not obtained by transfecting undifferentiated rat liver epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that replication of HBV can occur in hepatocytes from mammalian species non-closely related to primates and strongly support the idea that attachment of the virus and its penetration into the cells are critical steps in the host-specificity of the infection process and that hepatic-specific regulating factors could be essential for viral replication.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In vivo neutralization of duck hepatitis B virus by antibodies specific to the N-terminal portion of pre-S protein

The neutralization of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection using antibodies directed against the N-terminal portion of the large surface protein was examined in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate here that a monoclonal antibody, directed against an epitope mapped between aa 77 and aa 100 on the DHBV pre-S, exerts a similar neutralizing activity (77%) both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we have found that a polyclonal antiserum raised against the bacterially expressed 131 first amino acids of the DHBV pre-S region abolished the infectivity of DHBV in ducklings. Therefore, antibodies against a peptide representing most of the DHBV pre-S region (1-131) or a monoclonal antibody specific to an epitope within this region neutralizes in vivo DHBV infectivity.

Sulfated polyanions do not inhibit duck hepatitis B virus infection

On the basis of the antiviral action of sulfated polyanions in human immunodeficiency virus and other viral infections, we studied the effect of dextran sulfate and heparin on duck hepatitis B virus infection. These agents do not affect viral uptake and replication in liver cells in vitro or in vivo. Sulfated polyanions, therefore, appear to have no potential for the treatment of hepadnavirus infections.

Inhibition of duck hepatitis B virus infection by lysosomotropic agents

The early phases of hepadnaviral infection were studied in primary duck hepatocyte cultures. Incubation of duck hepatocytes in vitro with duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) resulted in infection with high levels of viral replication. The lysosomotropic agents ammonium chloride and chloroquine effectively inhibited viral infection, indicating that DHBV infection, similar to infection with other enveloped viruses, depends on receptor-mediated endocytosis and involves membrane fusion triggered by low pH.

The isolation and culture of DHBV-infected embryo and duckling hepatocytes and the effect of aflatoxin B1 or irradiation on these cells

The preparation of primary cultures of control and DHBV-infected duck hepatocytes from embryos and young ducklings is described. Cultures of both embryo and duckling hepatocytes secreted duck serum proteins. Cultures of hepatocytes established from ducklings maintained initial morphology for up to 3 weeks in culture and also exhibited high levels of metabolism of aflatoxin B1. Embryonic cell cultures rapidly lost ability to metabolise AFB1 and became overgrown by spindle-shaped cells. Both embryo and duckling cell cultures secreted infective DHBV, and had intracellular replicative forms of the virus. No integration of the virus into the duck genome was observed, and attempts to induce viral integration in the duckling hepatocytes using irradiation and aflatoxin B1 toxicity were unsuccessful. The results of the study lend further support to the suggestion that the rarity of liver cancer in DHBV-infected experimental ducks is related to an innate resistance of the hepatocytes to develop DHBV-DNA integration. Another possibility may be related to the lower oncogenic potential of the DHBV strain used for the study. However DHBV infected duckling hepatocytes would appear to offer a suitable material for studying viral replication and mechanisms of aflatoxin B1 toxicity during prolonged cell culture.

Antiviral strategies in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: II. Inhibition of duck hepatitis B virus in vitro using conventional antiviral agents and supercoiled-DNA active compounds

Primary duck hepatocyte (PDH) cultures, congenitally infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), were grown on feeder cell layers of irradiated human embryonic lung fibroblasts and then exposed to a number of compounds with recognized or potential antiviral activity. These compounds included conventional antiviral agents, reverse transcriptase inhibitors, compounds with activity to supercoiled-DNA, and DNA-binding agents. Twenty-three compounds were evaluated, and 13 were found to inhibit significantly viral DNA replication. Seven of these compounds (ellipticine, amsacrine, coumermycin A1, Adriamycin, mitozantrone, chloroquine, and neocarzinostatin) acted at the level of viral SC DNA and significantly inhibited production of duck hepatitis B surface antigen (DHBsAg). Conventional agents that inhibited DHBV DNA replication included ganciclovir, acyclovir, bromovinyldeoxyuridine, ribavirin, phosphonoformate, and dideoxyadenosine. Except for dideoxyadenosine, these inhibitors of viral DNA synthesis did not significantly inhibit DHBsAg production. Two additional compounds, novobiocin and nalidixic acid, altered the pattern of viral DNA replication, especially the generation and processing of viral SC DNA, and also inhibited the production of DHBsAg. Several compounds acting at the level of viral SC DNA have now been identified and may offer potential for the management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Antiviral strategies in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: I. Establishment of an in vitro system using the duck hepatitis B virus model

Primary duck hepatocyte (PDH) cultures were established from ducklings congenitally infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), plated onto feeder cell layers of irradiated human embryonic lung fibroblasts, and observed for 2 to 3 weeks. This system permitted the survival of the PDH in a differentiated form free of fibroblastic overgrowth for at least 3 weeks. The hepatocytes were shown to contain all the replicative DNA intermediates found during DHBV replication as well as the DHBV structural proteins PRE-S1, PRE-S2, and S of duck hepatitis B surface antigen (DHBsAg). The pool of supercoiled (SC) DHBV DNA increased dramatically from days 10 to 14 postplating. This PDH-feeder cell layer cell culture model provides a convenient system to study the effects of conventional inhibitors of DHBV replication and compounds targeted at the supercoiled form of DHBV DNA. This approach should allow the evaluation of a variety of strategies for treating chronic carriers of hepadnaviruses.

Virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibody to a conserved epitope on the duck hepatitis B virus pre-S protein

In this study we used duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV)-infected Pekin ducks and heron hepatitis B virus (HHBV)-infected heron tissue to search for epitopes responsible for virus neutralization on pre-S proteins. Monoclonal antibodies were produced by immunizing mice with purified DHBV particles. Of 10 anti-DHBV specific hybridomas obtained, 1 was selected for this study. This monoclonal antibody recognized in both DHBV-infected livers and viremic sera a major (36-kilodalton) protein and several minor pre-S proteins in all seven virus strains used. In contrast, pre-S proteins of HHBV-infected tissue or viremic sera did not react. Thus, the monoclonal antibody recognizes a highly conserved DHBV pre-S epitope. For mapping of the epitope, polypeptides from different regions of the DHBV pre-S/S gene were expressed in Escherichia coli and used as the substrate for immunoblotting. The epitope was delimited to a sequence of approximately 23 amino acids within the pre-S region, which is highly conserved in four cloned DHBV isolates and coincides with the main antigenic domain as predicted by computer algorithms. In in vitro neutralization assays performed with primary duck hepatocyte cultures, the antibody reduced DHBV infectivity by approximately 75%. These data demonstrate a conserved epitope of the DHBV pre-S protein which is located on the surface of the viral envelope and is recognized by virus-neutralizing antibodies.