In:
PLOS Pathogens, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 19, No. 8 ( 2023-8-16), p. e1011591-
Abstract:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pathogen characterized not only by its persistent infection leading to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but also by metabolic disorders such as lipid and iron dysregulation. Elevated iron load is commonly observed in the livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C, and hepatic iron overload is a highly profibrogenic and carcinogenic factor that increases the risk of HCC. However, the underlying mechanisms of elevated iron accumulation in HCV-infected livers remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we observed iron accumulation in cells and liver tissues under HCV infection and in mice expressing viral proteins from recombinant adenoviruses. We established two molecular mechanisms that contribute to increased iron load in cells caused by HCV infection. One is the transcriptional induction of hepcidin, the key hormone for modulating iron homeostasis. The transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein hepatocyte specific (CREBH), which was activated by HCV infection, not only directly recognizes the hepcidin promoter but also induces bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) expression, resulting in an activated BMP-SMAD pathway that enhances hepcidin promoter activity. The other is post-translational regulation of the iron-exporting membrane protein ferroportin 1 (FPN1), which is cleaved between residues Cys 284 and Ala 285 in the intracytoplasmic loop region of the central portion mediated by HCV NS3-4A serine protease. We propose that host transcriptional activation triggered by endoplasmic reticulum stress and FPN1 cleavage by viral protease work in concert to impair iron efflux, leading to iron accumulation in HCV-infected cells.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1553-7374
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s011
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s012
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s013
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s014
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s015
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s016
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s017
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s018
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s019
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1011591.s020
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2205412-1
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