title: Enhancement of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in hepatic cell line Huh7 expressing hepatitis C virus core protein.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein plays important roles in the pathogeneses of liver steatosis as well as hepatocellular carcinomas due to HCV infection. In this study, we examined de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in hepatic cell line Huh7 cells expressing HCV core protein. The rate of metabolic labeling of cellular fatty acids with [(3)H]acetate in core-expressing (Uc39-6) cells was ca. 1.5-fold higher than that in non-expressing (Uc321) cells. The enzyme activities responsible for fatty acid biosynthesis were assayed in vitro. Cytosolic acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in Uc39-6 cells was ca. 1.6-fold higher than that in Uc321 cells. On the other hand, cytosolic fatty acid synthase activity in Uc39-6 cells was only slightly higher than that in Uc321 cells. Immunoblot analysis of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), which is a rate-limiting enzyme for fatty acid biosynthesis, revealed a higher expression level of the protein in Uc39-6 cells than in Uc321 cells. The ACC1 mRNA content in Uc39-6 cells was 1.4-fold higher than that in Uc321 cells. These results strongly suggest that enhancement of fatty acid biosynthesis in core-expressing cells is caused by increased expression of fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes, especially ACC1. Up-regulation of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis by HCV core protein may affect cellular lipid metabolism, resulting in neutral lipid accumulation in HCV-infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan. fuka@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukasawa
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Shigeko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yujin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nitahara-Kasahara
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamura
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanada
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishijima
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D011494:Protein Kinases; C033288:(acetyl-CoA carboxylase) kinase