title: Hepatitis delta virus attaches to human hepatocytes via human liver endonexin II, a specific HBsAg binding protein.
abstract: Recently we identified human liver endonexin II (EII) as a specific hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) binding protein. To investigate whether EII is also able to interact with the HBsAg envelope of the hepatitis delta virus (H delta V), immunoprecipitation experiments were performed. H delta V particles could be co-precipitated by polyclonal rabbit anti-EII, but not by rabbit anti-glutathiontransferase (GST pi) antibodies from an H delta V-enriched fraction containing EII or GST pi. These findings suggest that H delta V particles were co-precipitated by anti-EII as a consequence of the binding between HBsAg present in the H delta V envelope and EII. Furthermore, binding of H delta V particles to human hepatocytes could be inhibited by incubation of the liver cells with rabbit anti-EII IgG or the H delta V particles with anti-idiotypic (anti-HBsAg) antibodies, developed spontaneously in rabbits immunized with EII. These findings support the assumption that small HBsAg present in the H delta V envelope is important for the attachment to the hepatocytes and that EII plays an important role in this process.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastro-enterology and Liver Diseases, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Bruin
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Leenders
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hertogs
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Depla
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yap
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011994:Recombinant Proteins