ELUCIDATION OF HEPATOCARINOGENESIS IN HEPATITIS C VIRUS INFECTION USING TRANSGENIC MICE.

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide, which finally leads to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic HCV infection is still unclear. The ability of the core protein of HCV to modulate intracellular signaling pathways has been suggested as being involved in the pathogenesis of HCC.Here we describe the development of HCC in HCV core gene transgenic mice which develop hepatic steatosis early in life as a histological feature characteristic of chronic hepatitis C.The feature in the development of HCC in these mice closely resembled the histopathological characteristics previously observed in the early stage of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis C.These results indicate that the HCV core protein has a major role in the development of HCC and that HCV itself is directly involved in hepatocarcinogenesis.