Expression Profiles of Hepatic Immune Response Genes in HEV Infection

Abstract

Hepatitis E is a liver inflammation caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Every year, there are an estimated 20 million HEV infections worldwide, leading to an estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of hepatitis E. HEV viral load has been studied about the disease progression; however, hepatic the host gene expression against HEV infection remains unknown. Methods: We identified the expression profiles of hepatic immune response genes in HEV infections. Fresh blood samples were collected from all the study subjects (130 patients and 124 controls) in 3ml EDTA vacutainers. HEV viral load was determined by a real-time PCR. The total RNA was isolated from the blood using the TRIZOL method. The expression of theCCL2, CCL5, CXCL10, CXCL16, TNF, IFNGR1, and SAMSN1 genes was studied in the blood of 130 HEV patients and 124 controls using a real-time PCR. Results: Gene expression profiles indicate high levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL10, CXCL16, TNF, IFNGR1, and SAMSN1 genes that might lead to the recruitment of leukocytes and infected cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated distinct differences in the expression profiles of host immune response-related genes of HEV infections and provided valuable insight into the potential impact of these genes on disease progression.

Identification of interferon-stimulated genes with modulated expression during hepatitis E virus infection in pig liver tissues and human HepaRG cells

“…Higher expression of the gene coding for CXCL10 (or IP-10 for interferon gamma-induced protein 10) after HEV infection has already been reported in hepatocytes and enterocytes in vitro , in liver biopsies from rhesus macaques and chimpanzees, in human liver chimeric mice and in patients with chronic hepatitis E ( Figure 6B ; Supplementary Table 6 ) ( 44 – 50 ). Higher level of CXCL10 has also been detected in serum and whole blood samples from patients with acute hepatitis E (HEV-1 and HEV-3) ( 51 , 52 ) and has been linked to more severe symptoms in patients infected with HEV-3 ( 52 ). CXCL10 is a chemokine that is involved in the recruitment of T cells and plays a role in the pathogenesis associated with several viral infections ( 53 ).…”