Project description:Certain organs are capable of containing the replication of various types of viruses. In the liver, infection of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), the etiological factor of Hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), often remains asymptomatic and leads to a chronic carrier state. Here we investigated how hepatocytes contain HBV replication and promote their own survival by orchestrating a translational defense mechanism via the stress-sensitive SUMO-2/3-specific peptidase SENP3. We found that SENP3 expression level decreased in HBV-infected hepatocytes in various models including HepG2-NTCP cell lines and a humanized mouse model. Downregulation of SENP3 reduced HBV replication and boosted host protein translation. We also discovered that IQGAP2, a Ras GTPase-activating-like protein, is a key substrate for SENP3-mediated de-SUMOylation. Downregulation of SENP3 in HBV infected cells facilitated IQGAP2 SUMOylation and degradation, which leads to suppression of HBV gene expression and restoration of global translation of host genes via modulation of AKT phosphorylation. Thus, The SENP3-IQGAP2 de-SUMOylation axis is a host defense mechanism of hepatocytes that restores host protein translation and suppresses HBV gene expression.
Project description:Certain organs are capable of containing the replication of various types of viruses. In the liver, infection of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), the etiological factor of Hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), often remains asymptomatic and leads to a chronic carrier state. Here we investigated how hepatocytes contain HBV replication and promote their own survival by orchestrating a translational defense mechanism via the stress-sensitive SUMO-2/3-specific peptidase SENP3. We found that SENP3 expression level decreased in HBV-infected hepatocytes in various models including HepG2-NTCP cell lines and a humanized mouse model. Downregulation of SENP3 reduced HBV replication and boosted host protein translation. We also discovered that IQGAP2, a Ras GTPase-activating-like protein, is a key substrate for SENP3-mediated de-SUMOylation. Downregulation of SENP3 in HBV infected cells facilitated IQGAP2 SUMOylation and degradation, which leads to suppression of HBV gene expression and restoration of global translation of host genes via modulation of AKT phosphorylation. Thus, The SENP3-IQGAP2 de-SUMOylation axis is a host defense mechanism of hepatocytes that restores host protein translation and suppresses HBV gene expression.
Project description:Nucleophosmin-1 (NPM1) is a nucleolar chaperone protein frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). ARF and Sentrin/SUMO Specific Peptidase 3 (SENP3) control NPM1 functions through dynamic SUMOylation/de-SUMOylation. Mutated NPM1 is an oncoprotein that exhibits an aberrant cytoplasmic localization (NPM1c) and disrupts PML/P53 signaling. Studies reported increased survival of patients with NPM1c AML when retinoic acid (RA) was added to chemotherapy or hypomethylating agents. Ex vivo, RA initiates NPM1c degradation, P53 activation and cell death. Yet, the molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive. Here we show that in NPM1c AML cell lines or patients’ blasts, NPM1c-triggered mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress drive NPM1c stabilization through SENP3 upregulation. RA decreases mitochondrial ROS production, driving degradation of SENP3, ARF stabilization, PML-dependent NPM1c hyperSUMOylation followed by RNF4-dependent ubiquitination and degradation. Thus, the feedback loop stabilizing NPM1c protein can be interrupted by RA-triggered enhanced mitochondrial fitness, mechanistically explaining the benefit of RA in chemotherapy or hypomethylating agents-treated AMLs.
Project description:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes both acute and chronic liver inflammation. Approximately 600,000 CHB patients each year die of HBV-related diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Therefore, CHB remains a global health concern. Although there have been anti-HBV agents for treating CHB, they have some limitations including viral-drug resistance and adverse effects. Type III IFN or IFN-λ is promising to use as anti-HBV agents because of its anti-viral activities like type I IFNs. In addition, the expression of its receptor, IFNLR1, is limited only in epithelial cells including hepatocytes. Thus, treatment with IFN-lambda results in less side effects compared to IFN-alpha treatment. IFN-lambdas have been shown to inhibit the replication of several viruses including IAV, DENV, EMCV, HIV, HCV, and HBV; however, there have been no studies on the effects of IFN-λ3, the highest activity among other subtypes, on HBV replication. Therefore, this study aims to determine antiviral activities of IFN-λ3 against HBV replication and to investigate its molecular mechanism responsible for suppressing HBV propagation. The results showed that HBV transcripts and amount of intracellular HBV DNA were decreased in HepG2.2.15 cells, stable HBV-transfected hepatoblastoma cell line, treated with IFN-λ3 in a dose-dependent manner. This indicated that IFN-λ3 could inhibit HBV replication. Next, we performed quantitative proteomics to investigate the proteome changes in HepG2.2.15 treated with IFN-λ3. The proteins that changed their expressions were involved in several biological processes such as defense to viral infection, immune responses, cell-cell adhesion, transcription, translation, and metabolism. We further confirmed the proteomics results by immunoblotting assay. Consistent with MS data, it found that the expression of OAS3, SAMHD1 and STAT1 were increased as a result of IFN-λ3 stimulation. These results indicated that proteomics results were reproducible and reliable. Finally, we proposed 3 possible mechanisms involved in suppressing HBV replication including i.) IFN-λ3 induced anti-viral proteins affecting many steps in HBV life cycle ii.) IFN-λ3 promoted antigen processing and antigen presentation and iii.) IFN-λ3 rescued RIG-I signaling to promote both type I and type III IFN production.
Project description:Background and Aims Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been known to cause liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although nucleos(t)ide analogs are mainly used for the treatment of HBV, they require long-term administration and may lead to the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, to identify targets for the development of novel anti-HBV therapies, we screened HBV-suppressive host factors using RNA-bnding protein (RBP) expression plasmids library. Approach and Results We screened the RBP library by generating overexpressing RBP cell lines and observing anti-HBV effect. As a result, we identified NEDD4-binding protein 1 (N4BP1) as a candidate showing anti-HBV effect. In hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, overexpression of N4BP1 decreased the relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA) levels, while suppression of N4BP1 expression increased rcDNA levels. Restoring N4BP1 expression in N4BP1 knockout cells regained the anti-HBV effect of N4BP1. Next, we constructed KH-like and RNase domain-deficient mutants of N4BP1 and examined their effects on HBV replication, and found that both the KH-like and RNase domains are required for its anti-HBV effect. N4BP1 suppresses the step where pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) is synthesized in the HBV life cycle by promoting degradation of pgRNA. Transcriptome analyses of primary human hepatocytes overexpressing N4BP1 suggested that N4BP1 may have anti-HBV activity independent of other host factors. Conclusions In summary, N4BP1 was found to be a novel anti-HBV factor. N4BP1 inhibited HBV replication by promoting pgRNA degradation.
Project description:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection could cause hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV-mediated pathogenesis is only partially understood, but X protein (HBx) reportedly possesses oncogenic potential. Exosomes are small membrane vesicles with diverse functions released by various cells including hepatocytes, and HBV harnesses cellular exosome biogenesis and export machineries for virion morphogenesis and secretion. Therefore, HBV infection might cause changes in exosome contents with functional implications for both virus and host. In this project, exosome protein content changes induced by HBV and HBx were quantitatively analyzed by SILAC/LC-MS/MS. Exosomes prepared from SILAC-labeled hepatoma cell line Huh-7 transfected with HBx, wildtype or HBx-null HBV replicon plasmids were analyzed by LC-MS/MS.