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Hepatitis

HBV infection alters bile acid metabolism gene profile

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 11, page 332 (2014)Cite this article

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The effect of HBV infection on hepatocyte function remains unclear because of the narrow host range for HBV and the existence of few robust in vitro systems. A new study in Hepatology sidesteps this issue by using a human liver–chimeric mouse model. HBV infection in these mice altered the expression of genes involved in lipid and bile acid metabolism, most notably CYP7A1, which encodes a key enzyme involved in bile acid synthesis. Moreover, the researchers pinpoint binding of the preS1-domain of the HBV envelope to hepatocytes as a potential key trigger of these changes.

Human hepatocytes were injected into uPA/SCID mice; 40–70% of the mouse liver was reconstituted by human cells, enabling HBV infection. HBV-infected and uninfected mice were then used to study the viral effects on metabolic gene expression.

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References

  1. Oehler, N. et al. Binding of hepatitis B virus to its cellular receptor alters the expression profile of genes of the bile acid metabolism. Hepatology 10.1002/hep.27159

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Authors
  1. Gillian Patman
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Patman, G. HBV infection alters bile acid metabolism gene profile. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 11, 332 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2014.62

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