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Hepatitis B virus X protein modulates cytosolic Ca2+ signaling in primary human hepatocytes
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Hepatitis B virus X protein modulates cytosolic Ca2+ signaling in primary human hepatocytes

Jessica C. Casciano and Michael J. Bouchard
Virus research, v 246, pp 23-27
15 Feb 2018
PMID: 29307794

Abstract

Calcium Hepatitis B virus Human hepatocytes Mitochondria Store-operated calcium entry
•The Hepatitis B virus HBx protein elevates cytosolic Ca2+ levels in primary human hepatocytes.•HBx-mediated elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ is controlled by store-operated Ca2+ entry mechanisms.•HBx-mediated elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ requires functional mitochondria.•HBx elevates mitochondrial Ca2+ levels.•HBx elevation of mitochondrial Ca2+ is linked to elevation of cytosolic Ca2+. Worldwide, approximately 240 million people are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV); chronic HBV infection is associated with the development of life-threatening liver diseases. The HBV HBx protein alters hepatocyte physiology to promote HBV replication. We previously reported that HBx modulates calcium signaling to stimulate HBV replication in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells and primary rat hepatocytes. Whether HBx modulates calcium signaling in a primary human hepatocyte, the natural site of an HBV infection, has not been determined. Here, we report the effect of HBx on calcium signaling in primary human hepatocytes and show that HBx modulates calcium signaling via enhanced calcium entry through store-operated calcium channels and elevated mitochondrial calcium, similar to HBx effects in HepG2 cells and primary rat hepatocytes. In addition to demonstrating that HBV and HBx affect calcium signaling in human hepatocytes, these studies also show that HBV and HBx regulation of calcium signaling is identical in primary human and rat hepatocytes, further validating the use of cultured primary rat hepatocytes for HBV studies.

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