Hepatitis C virus core selectively suppresses interleukin-12 synthesis in human macrophages by interfering with AP-1 activation
Hepatitis C virus core selectively suppresses interleukin-12 synthesis in human macrophages by interfering with AP-1 activation
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DOI:
10.1074/jbc.m407640200
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发表时间:
2004-10-15
影响因子:
4.8
通讯作者:
Hahn, YS
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Eisen-Vandervelde, AL;Waggoner, SN;Hahn, YS
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is remarkably efficient at establishing persistent infection, suggesting that it has evolved one or more strategies aimed at evading the host immune response. T cell responses, including interferon-gamma production, are severely suppressed in chronic HCV patients. The HCV core protein has been previously shown to circulate in the bloodstream of HCV-infected patients and inhibit host immunity through an interaction with gC1qR. To determine the role of the HCV core-gC1qR interaction in modulation of inflammatory cytokine production, we examined interleukin (IL)-12 production, which is critical for the induction of interferon-gamma synthesis, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocyte/macrophages. We found that core protein binds the gC1qR displayed on the cell surface of monocyte/macrophages and inhibits the production of IL-12p70 upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation. This inhibition was found to be selective in that HCV core failed to affect the production of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. In addition, suppression of IL-12 production by core protein occurred at the transcriptional level by inhibition of IL-12p40 mRNA synthesis. Importantly, core-induced inhibition of IL-12p40 mRNA synthesis resulted from impaired activation of AP-1 rather than enhanced IL-10 production. These results suggest that the HCV core-gC1qR interaction may play a pivotal role in establishing persistent infection by dampening TH1 responses.