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Journal of Virology, February 2000, p. 1495-1505, Vol. 74, No. 3
Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase
Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111
Received 23 June 1999/Accepted 3 November 1999
It is well known that hepatitis B virus infections can be transient
or chronic, but the basis for this dichotomy is not known. To gain
insight into the mechanism responsible for the clearance of
hepadnavirus infections, we have performed a molecular and histologic
analysis of liver tissues obtained from transiently infected woodchucks
during the critical phase of the recovery period. We found as expected
that clearance from transient infections occurred subsequent to the
appearance of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and the
production of interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the
infected liver. These events were accompanied by a significant increase
in apoptosis and regeneration of hepatocytes. Surprisingly, however,
accumulation of virus-free hepatocytes was delayed for several weeks
following this initial influx of lymphocytes. In addition, we observed
that chronically infected animals can exhibit levels of T-cell
accumulation, cytokine expression, and apoptosis that are comparable
with those observed during the initial phase of transient infections.
Our results are most consistent with a model for recovery predicting
replacement of infected hepatocytes with regenerated cells, which by
unknown mechanisms remain protected from reinfection in animals that
can be cured.
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Apoptosis and Regeneration of Hepatocytes during
Recovery from Transient Hepadnavirus Infections
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute for
Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 7701 Burholme Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19111. Phone: (215) 728-4312. Fax: (215) 728-4329. E-mail: c_seeger{at}fccc.edu.
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