Evidence for cellular uptake of recombinant hepatitis C virus non-enveloped capsid-like particles.
Although the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an enveloped virus, naked nucleocapsids have been reported in the serum of infected patients, and most recently novel HCV subgenomes with deletions of the envelope proteins have been identified. However the significance of these findings remains unclear. In this study, we used the baculovirus expression system to generate recombinant HCV capsid-like particles, and investigated their possible interactions with cells. We show that expression of HCV core in insect cells can sufficiently direct the formation of capsid-like particles in the absence of the HCV envelope glycoproteins and of the 5' untranslated region. By confocal microscopy analysis, we provide evidence that the naked capsid-like particles could be uptaken by human hepatoma cells. Moreover, our findings suggest that they have the potential to produce cell-signaling effects.
Tsitoura
Panagiota
P
Molecular Virology Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127, Vas. Sofias Ave, Athens 11521, Greece.
Georgopoulou
Urania
U
Pêtres
Stéphane
S
Varaklioti
Agoritsa
A
Karafoulidou
Anastasia
A
Vagena
Dimitra
D
Politis
Constantina
C
Mavromara
Penelope
P
D000818:Animals; D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006224:Cricetinae; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018411:Spodoptera; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D006023:Glycoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins