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Journal of Virology, August 2007, p. 8063-8071, Vol. 81, No. 15
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00193-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti, 00040 Pomezia, Rome, Italy,1 Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, Box 64, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021,2 INSERM U551, Université Pierre et Marie CurieParis 6, Dyslipoproteinemia and Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Hôpital de la Pitié, Paris, France,3 Okairòs, Via Comunale Margherita 482, Naples, Italy,4 CeInge, Via Comunale Margherita 482, Naples, Italy5
Received 29 January 2007/ Accepted 3 May 2007
The human scavenger class B type 1 receptor (SR-B1/Cla1) was identified as a putative receptor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) because it binds to soluble recombinant HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 (sE2). High-density lipoprotein (HDL), a natural SR-B1 ligand, was shown to increase the in vitro infectivity of retroviral pseudoparticles bearing HCV envelope glycoproteins and of cell culture-derived HCV (HCVcc), suggesting that SR-B1 promotes viral entry in an HDL-dependent manner. To determine whether SR-B1 participates directly in HCV infection or facilitates HCV entry through lipoprotein uptake, we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against native human SR-B1. Two of them, 3D5 and C167, bound to conformation-dependent SR-B1 determinants and inhibited the interaction of sE2 with SR-B1. These antibodies efficiently blocked HCVcc infection of Huh-7.5 hepatoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. To examine the role of HDL in SR-B1-mediated HCVcc infection, we set up conditions for HCVcc production and infection in serum-free medium. HCVcc efficiently infected Huh-7.5 cells in the absence of serum lipoproteins, and addition of HDL led to a twofold increase in infectivity. However, the HDL-induced enhancement of infection had no impact on the neutralization potency of MAb C167, despite its ability to inhibit both HDL binding to cells and SR-B1-mediated lipid transfer. Of note, MAb C167 also potently blocked Huh-7.5 infection by an HCV strain recovered from HCVcc-infected chimpanzees. These results demonstrate that SR-B1 is essential for infection with HCV produced in vitro and in vivo and suggest the possible use of anti-SR-B1 antibodies as therapeutic agents.
Published ahead of print on 16 May 2007.
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