Cellular membrane trafficking machineries utilized by the hepatitis viruses

Abstract

While the life cycles of hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses) have been modestly characterized, recent intensive studies have provided new insights. Because these viruses 'hijack' the membrane trafficking of the host cell machinery during replicative propagation, it is essential to determine and understand these specific cellular pathways. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are well known as a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. While substantial inroads toward treating HCV patients have recently been made, patients with HBV continue to require life-long treatment, which makes a thorough understanding of the HBV life cycle essential. Importantly, these viruses have been observed to "hijack" the secretory and endocytic membrane trafficking machineries of the hepatocyte. These can include the canonical clathrin-mediated endocytic process that internalizes virus through cell surface receptors. While these receptors are encoded by the host genome for normal hepatocellular functions, they also exhibit viral-specific recognition. Further, functions provided by the multivesicular body (MVB), that include endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT), are now known to envelope a variety of different hepatitis viruses. In this review, we summarize the recent findings regarding the cellular membrane trafficking machineries utilized by HBV in the context of other hepatitis viruses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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