title: Viral clearance without destruction of infected cells during acute HBV infection.
abstract: Viral clearance during hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been thought to reflect the destruction of infected hepatocytes by CD8(+) T lymphocytes. However, in this study, HBV DNA was shown to largely disappear from the liver and the blood of acutely infected chimpanzees long before the peak of T cell infiltration and most of the liver disease. These results demonstrate that noncytopathic antiviral mechanisms contribute to viral clearance during acute viral hepatitis by purging HBV replicative intermediates from the cytoplasm and covalently closed circular viral DNA from the nucleus of infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Guidotti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rochford
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Chisari
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens