News Releases & Research Results Extracellular vesicles secreted by HBV-infected cells prevent elimination of HBV in a mouse model of HBV infection.

News Releases & Research Results

Outline

The results of research conducted by Project Assistant Professor Masatoshi Kakizaki and Professor Ai Kotani of Department of Innovative Medical Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, and others.

The key results of research are as follows:

  • In a mouse model of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, extracellular vesicles (EVs) (*1) secreted by HBV-infected cells were found to prevent the elimination of HBV.
    (*1) Particles released from the cell that are delimited by a lipid bilayer and do not contain a nucleus.
  • Specifically, in a mouse model of HBV infection, the hepatic lymph nodes showed an increased proportion of dendritic cells (*2) positive for the immune checkpoint factor PD-L1, after the injection of EVs derived from HBV-infected cells.
    (*2) Cells that play an important role in regulating immune response in the body. They have a “tree-like” shape with a distinctive branch structure. They are commonly seen not only in the lymphatic tissue but also in the whole body.
  • The results of the research may lead to the advancement in the elucidation of Hepatitis B pathology.

This project was conducted with the support of the Research Program on Hepatitis by AMED.

The results of research were published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on August 28.

Article

Kakizaki M., et al. Extracellular vesicles secreted by HBV-infected cells modulate HBV persistence in hydrodynamic HBV transfection mouse model Journal of Biological Chemistry
DOI:10.1074/jbc.RA120.014317

08/28/20

Last updated 08/28/20