The Dual Role of Exosomes in Hepatitis A and C Virus Transmission and Viral Immune Activation

Viruses

Andrea Longatti¹  Yorgo Modis¹ 

[1] MedImmune, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, UK

关键词: exosomes;    Hepatitis C virus;    Hepatitis A virus;    interferon;    plasmacytoid dendritic cells;    innate immunity;    infection;    transmission;    immune evasion;   

DOI  :  10.3390/v7122967

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Exosomes are small nanovesicles of about 100 nm in diameter that act as intercellular messengers because they can shuttle RNA, proteins and lipids between different cells. Many studies have found that exosomes also play various roles in viral pathogenesis. Hepatitis A virus (HAV; a picornavirus) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV; a flavivirus) two single strand plus-sense RNA viruses, in particular, have been found to use exosomes for viral transmission thus evading antibody-mediated immune responses. Paradoxically, both viral exosomes can also be detected by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) leading to innate immune activation and type I interferon production. This article will review recent findings regarding these two viruses and outline how exosomes are involved in their transmission and immune sensing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.