Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells are capable of mediating hepatitis B virus infection in injured tissues.
We have previously showed that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) through uptake of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may play a critical role in mediating extrahepatic HBV diseases. However, it remains to be elucidated whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of mediating HBV trans-infection into extrahepatic tissues.


RESULTS
In this study, we showed that HBV antigens, HBV DNA and the viral particles were detected in MSCs after 3 days virus challenge. Neither HBV covalently closed circular DNA nor pregenomic RNA were detected in MSCs. Intravenously transplantation of HBV-exposed MSCs into myocardial infarction mouse model resulted in incorporation of HBV into injured heart and other damaged tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that MSCs could serve as an additional extrahepatic virus reservoir, which may play a role at least in part in mediating HBV trans-infection into the injured tissues through the process of MSCs recruitment.
Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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Rong
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Zhang
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Su
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Li
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Li
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Liu
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Huang
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Ma
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Cao
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Huang
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006321:Heart / Q000821:virology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral