Analyzing mechanism of Hepatitis C Virus eradication by Interferon-lambda

• Project/Area Number: 25860523
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Gastroenterology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: FUJITA(TASAKA) Megumi 東京医科歯科大学, 医歯学融合教育支援センター, 特任助教 (50510369)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
• Keywords: C型肝炎ウイルス / MHC Class I / ウイルス / 免疫学 / インターフェロン誘導性遺伝子 / MHC Class 1 / シグナル伝達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For this study, we could not confirm induction of ISG expression by IFN- λ as we expected. Therefore, we tried to explore other possibility.
MHC Class I is a molecule that is known to support eradication of viruses. When cells are infected by viruses, part of virus protein is carried by MHC Class I to the surface of infected cells. Cytotoxic T cells recognize these protein conjugated MHC Class I molecules and attack these cells. As a result, viruses infecting these cells are eliminated with cells from host's body. For HCV, after infection or adding IFN-α, induction of MHC Class I expression was also confirmed (Kang et al, 2014). Therefore we planned to evaluate the results after adding IFN-λ, and found MHC Class I induction. From these results it was suggested that IFN-λ may also affect in the same mechanism as IFN-α.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Gene alterations in β-catenin and p53/ cell cycle control pathway are closely associated with development and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: Comprehensive analyses by next generation sequencing technology. (2014)
  • Author(s): Fukiko Kawai-Kitahata, Yasuhiro Asahina, Syun Kaneko, Hiroko Nagata, Fumio Goto, Satoshi Otani, Miki Taniguchi, Miyako Murakawa, Sayuri Nitta, Takako Watanabe, Megumi Tasaka-Fujita, Yasuhiro Itsui, Mina Nakagawa, Sei Kakinuma, Nobuyuki Enomoto, Mamoru Watanabe
  • Organizer: Annual Meeting of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  • Place of Presentation: Boston, USA
  • Year and Date: 2014-11-09 – 2014-11-11
• [Presentation] HCV Core領域アミノ酸70/91変異株を用いた反応機序の解析 (2013)
  • Author(s): 藤田めぐみ，加藤孝宣，村山麻子，山田典栄，朝比奈靖浩，坂本直哉.
  • Organizer: 第49回日本肝臓学会総会，
  • Place of Presentation: 京王プラザホテル（東京都新宿区）
• [Presentation] Substitution of amino acid 70/91 in the hepatitis C core region affects infectious virus production and cell surface expression of MHC Class I (2013)
  • Author(s): Megumi Tasaka-Fujita, Nao-Sugiyama, Wonseok Kang, Asako Murayama, Naoya Sakamoto, Takaji Wakita, Eui-cheoul Shin, Takanobu Kato
  • Organizer: 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  • Place of Presentation: Walter E. Washington Convention Center(Washington D.C.)