title: Low-level HIV infection of hepatocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are only limited data on whether HIV infection occurs within the liver; therefore, we explored early and late stages of the HIV life cycle in two hepatocyte cell lines--Huh7.5 and Huh7.5JFH1--as well as in primary human hepatocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Integrated HIV DNA was detected in Huh7.5 and Huh7.5JFH1 cells, as well as in primary hepatocytes, and was inhibited by the integrase inhibitor raltegravir in a dose-dependent manner. HIV p24 protein was also detected in cell culture supernatants at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-infection and was inhibited by AZT, although levels were modest compared to those in a lymphocyte cell line. Culture supernatants from HIV-infected hepatocytes were capable of infecting a non-hepatic HIV indicator cell line.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicating low-level HIV replication in hepatoctyes in vitro complement evidence suggesting that HIV has deleterious effects on the liver in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, ML 0595, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cardona Maya
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Moreno-Fernandez
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Mohamed T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shata
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chougnet
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Blackard
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D014779:Virus Replication