title: Tetherin has negligible activity in restricting hepatitis C virus in hepatocytes.
abstract: We investigated the ability of tetherin, a recently identified antiviral factor, in restricting hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the Japanese fulminant hepatitis-1 (JFH-1) infectious cell culture system. Human hepatocytes (Huh7, Huh7.5.1) expressedlow levels of endogenous tetherin, which could be induced by IFN-α. However, tetherin contributes little to IFN-α-mediated anti-HCV JFH-1 activity. Although tetherin could inhibit Vpu-deleted HIV-1 release, it had negligible activity in restricting HCV JFH-1 release from hepatocytes, which was evidenced by unaffected levels of intracellular/extracellular HCV RNA and infectious virus. The failure of tetherin's anti-HCV activity could not be related to the counteraction of HCV, as HCV infection of hepatocytes affected neither tetherin expression nor anti-HIV function of tetherin. These observations imply that tetherin has negligible activity in the restriction of HCV JFH-1 in human hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19140, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jieliang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jinping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Servio H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wenzhe
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication; D000074010:Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C094572:BST2 protein, human; D000074010:Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2; C514859:vpu protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins