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Liu B, Yang H, Liao Q, Wang M, Huang J, Xu R, Shan Z, Zhong H, Li T, Li C, Fu Y, Rong X. Altered gut microbiota is associated with the formation of occult hepatitis B virus infection. Microbiol Spectr 2024:e0023924. [PMID: 38785430 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00239-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a common blood transmission pathogen worldwide, can lead to viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other liver diseases. In particular, occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) may be caused by an immune response leading to suppressed virus replication. Gut microbiota can change the immunity status of the human body and, therefore, affect the replication of HBV. Thus, to identify whether there are differences in gut microbiota between HBV carriers and OBI carriers, we collected fecal samples from 18 HBV carriers, 24 OBI blood donors, and also 20 healthy blood donors as negative control. After 16S sequencing, we found that the abundance of Faecalibacterium was significantly reduced in samples from OBI blood donors compared with those from healthy blood donors. Compared with samples from HBV carriers, the samples from OBI blood donors had a significantly increased abundance of Subdoligranulum, which might stimulate immune activation, thus inhibiting HBV replication and contributing to the formation of occult infection. Our findings revealed the potential role of gut microbiota in the formation of OBI and further provided a novel strategy for the treatment of HBV infection.IMPORTANCEOccult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is a special form of hepatitis B virus infection with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA negative. Gut microbiota may contribute to the immune response leading to suppressed virus replication and, thus, participates in the development of OBI. The study on gut microbiota of OBI blood donors provides novel data considerably advancing our understanding of the immune mechanism for the determination of occult hepatitis B virus infection, which is helpful for improving the strategy of the treatment of HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bochao Liu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hualong Yang
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiao Liao
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Min Wang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jieting Huang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ru Xu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhengang Shan
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huishan Zhong
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengyao Li
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongshui Fu
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xia Rong
- Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- The Key Medical Laboratory of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Kupke P, Brucker J, Wettengel JM, Protzer U, Wenzel JJ, Schlitt HJ, Geissler EK, Werner JM. Cytokine Response of Natural Killer Cells to Hepatitis B Virus Infection Depends on Monocyte Co-Stimulation. Viruses 2024; 16:741. [PMID: 38793623 PMCID: PMC11125674 DOI: 10.3390/v16050741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major driver of chronic hepatic inflammation, which regularly leads to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Immediate innate immune cell response is crucial for the rapid clearance of the infection. Here, natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in direct cytotoxicity and the secretion of antiviral cytokines as well as regulatory function. The aim of this study was to further elucidate NK cell responses triggered by an HBV infection. Therefore, we optimized HBV in vitro models that reliably stimulate NK cells using hepatocyte-like HepG2 cells expressing the Na+-taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) and HepaRG cells. Immune cells were acquired from healthy platelet donors. Initially, HepG2-NTCP cells demonstrated higher viral replication compared to HepaRG cells. Co-cultures with immune cells revealed increased production of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α by NK cells, which was no longer evident in isolated NK cells. Likewise, the depletion of monocytes and spatial separation from target cells led to the absence of the antiviral cytokine production of NK cells. Eventually, the combined co-culture of isolated NK cells and monocytes led to a sufficient cytokine response of NK cells, which was also apparent when communication between the two immune cell subpopulations was restricted to soluble factors. In summary, our study demonstrates antiviral cytokine production by NK cells in response to HBV+ HepG2-NTCP cells, which is dependent on monocyte bystander activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Kupke
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Brucker
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jochen M. Wettengel
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine and Health/Helmholtz Munich, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich Partner Site, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrike Protzer
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine and Health/Helmholtz Munich, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich Partner Site, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen J. Wenzel
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hans J. Schlitt
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Edward K. Geissler
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jens M. Werner
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Khan S, Anwer A, Sevak JK, Trehanpati N, Kazim SN. Cytokines Expression Compared to the Determinants of Cellular Apoptosis Prominently Attributes to the Deleterious Effects of 'A' Determinant Surface Gene Mutations in HBV Transfected Hepatoma Cell Line. Immunol Invest 2024; 53:224-240. [PMID: 38095846 DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2023.2288841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have explored the role of AKT protein in anti-apoptotic/proliferative activities. However, there has been a lack of information regarding the role of Akt in association with cytokines expression in HBV-related (wild type HBV and HBV with mutations of 'a' determinant region) studies either in the case of HBV infection or in transfected hepatoma cells. The present study tries to determine the role of Akt and cytokines expression in the presence of small surface gene mutants in the hepatoma cell line. METHODS Mutations of 'a' determinant region, viz. sA128V and sG145R, were created in wild-type pHBV1.3 by site-directed mutagenesis and transfected in hepatoma cell line. Secretory levels of HBsAg in the wild type as well as in both the mutants were analyzed by ELISA. Apoptotic analysis of transfected cells was studied by flow cytometry. Expression analysis of Akt and cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IFN-gamma) was done by qPCR. RESULTS The presence of significantly more alive cells in sG145R than sA128V transfected cells may be due to the up-regulation of the Akt gene expression. Cytokines expression was nearly similar between sA128V and wild-type pHBV1.3 transfected cells. Presence of sG145R showed dramatically high cytokines expression than sA128V and wild-type pHBV1.3. CONCLUSION Cytokines expression predominantly contributes to the detrimental effects associated with the 'a' determinant region mutations particularly sG145R mutant. It may also be inferred that mechanisms associated with cellular apoptosis apparently do not play any major role to assign the 'a' determinant small surface gene mutation(s) for their pathological outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saniya Khan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Ayesha Anwer
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Jayesh Kumar Sevak
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Nirupama Trehanpati
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Syed Naqui Kazim
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
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Kim CG, Kim WK, Kim N, Pyung YJ, Park DJ, Lee JC, Cho CS, Chu H, Yun CH. Intranasal Immunization With Nanoparticles Containing an Orientia tsutsugamushi Protein Vaccine Candidate and a Polysorbitol Transporter Adjuvant Enhances Both Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses. Immune Netw 2023; 23:e47. [PMID: 38188601 PMCID: PMC10767547 DOI: 10.4110/in.2023.23.e47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus, a mite-borne infectious disease, is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Despite many attempts to develop a protective strategy, an effective preventive vaccine has not been developed. The identification of appropriate Ags that cover diverse antigenic strains and provide long-lasting immunity is a fundamental challenge in the development of a scrub typhus vaccine. We investigated whether this limitation could be overcome by harnessing the nanoparticle-forming polysorbitol transporter (PST) for an O. tsutsugamushi vaccine strategy. Two target proteins, 56-kDa type-specific Ag (TSA56) and surface cell Ag A (ScaA) were used as vaccine candidates. PST formed stable nano-size complexes with TSA56 (TSA56-PST) and ScaA (ScaA-PST); neither exhibited cytotoxicity. The formation of Ag-specific IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgA in mice was enhanced by intranasal vaccination with TSA56-PST or ScaA-PST. The vaccines containing PST induced Ag-specific proliferation of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, the vaccines containing PST improved the mouse survival against O. tsutsugamushi infection. Collectively, the present study indicated that PST could enhance both Ag-specific humoral immunity and T cell response, which are essential to effectively confer protective immunity against O. tsutsugamushi infection. These findings suggest that PST has potential for use in an intranasal vaccination strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheol Gyun Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Bio-MAX/N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Won Kyong Kim
- Division of Zoonotic and Vector Borne Disease Research, Center for Infectious Disease Research, National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28159, Korea
| | - Narae Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Young Jin Pyung
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Da-Jeong Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Jeong-Cheol Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Chong-Su Cho
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Hyuk Chu
- Division of Zoonotic and Vector Borne Disease Research, Center for Infectious Disease Research, National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28159, Korea
| | - Cheol-Heui Yun
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Institutes of Green-bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Korea
- Interdisciplinary Programs in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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Ding Y, Wang K, Zhao S, Li Y, Qiu W, Zhu C, Wang Y, Dong C, Liu J, Lu Y, Qi W. Role of Kinetochore Scaffold 1 (KNL1) in Tumorigenesis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Pan-Cancer: Bioinformatics Analyses and Validation of Expression. Int J Gen Med 2023; 16:4883-4906. [PMID: 37928953 PMCID: PMC10625436 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s424245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Kinetochore scaffold 1 (KNL1), a crucial protein during cell mitosis participating in cell division, was widely expressed in multiple kinds of cancers. However, the expression profile, the effect on cell biological function, tumor immune microenvironment, and predictive value of clinical prognosis in pan-cancer of KNL1 still require a comprehensive inquiry. Methods The mRNA and protein expression profile of KNL1 was validated in pan-cancer using different databases. Six algorithms were used to explore the correlation between KNL1 and immune infiltration and the relationship between KNL1 and tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and TIDE score were calculated. The diagnostic and clinical prognostic predictive ability of KNL1 was assessed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of KNL1 were screened out and function enrichment analyses were performed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA). Finally, 8 cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissues and paired adjacent tissues were collected for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and the histological score (H-score) was calculated. Real-time PCR was performed in gastric cancer and bladder cancer cell lines. Results KNL1 was abnormally upregulated in more than half of cancers across different databases. IHC and real-time PCR verified the up-regulated expression in cancer tissues in PAAD, gastric cancer, and BLCA. The satisfactory diagnostic value of KNL1 was indicated in 30 cancers and high KNL1 expression was associated with poorer overall survival (OS) in 12 cancers. The prognostic role of KNL1 as a predictive biomarker of PAAD was clarified. KNL1 played an active part in the cell cycle and cell proliferation. Moreover, KNL1 was likely to mold the Th2-dominant suppressive tumor immune microenvironment and was associated with TMB, MSI, and immune checkpoint-related genes in pan-cancer. Conclusion Our study elucidated the anomalous expression of KNL1 and revealed that KNL1 was a promising prognostic biomarker in pan-cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Ding
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Kongjia Wang
- Department of Urology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Shufen Zhao
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Wensheng Qiu
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunyang Zhu
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Dong
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiani Liu
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Lu
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwei Qi
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
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