Inosine triphosphatase genetic variants are protective against anemia during antiviral therapy for HCV2/3 but do not decrease dose reductions of RBV or increase SVR

Alexander J. Thompson, Rosanna Santoro, Valeria Piazzolla, Paul J. Clark, Susanna Naggie, Hans L. Tillmann, Keyur Patel, Andrew J. Muir, Kevin V. Shianna, Leonardo Mottola, Daniela Petruzzellis, Mario Romano, Fernando Sogari, Domenico Facciorusso, David B. Goldstein, John G. McHutchison, Alessandra Mangia – 12 November 2010 – Two functional variants in the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene causing inosine triphosphatase (ITPase) deficiency protect against ribavirin (RBV)‐induced hemolytic anemia and the need for RBV dose reduction in patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Interleukin‐28B polymorphisms are associated with histological recurrence and treatment response following liver transplantation in patients with hepatitis C virus infection

Michael R. Charlton, Alexander Thompson, Bart J. Veldt, Kym Watt, Hans Tillmann, John J. Poterucha, Julie K. Heimbach, David Goldstein, John McHutchison – 12 November 2010 – Polymorphism in the interleukin‐28B (IL28B) gene region, encoding interferon (IFN)‐λ3, is strongly predictive of response to antiviral treatment in the nontransplant setting. We sought to determine the prevalence and impact on clinical outcomes of donor and recipient IL28B genotypes among liver transplant recipients.

Knockdown of autophagy enhances the innate immune response in hepatitis C virus–infected hepatocytes

Shubham Shrivastava, Amit Raychoudhuri, Robert Steele, Ranjit Ray, Ratna B. Ray – 12 November 2010 – The role of autophagy in disease pathogenesis following viral infection is beginning to be elucidated. We have previously reported that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hepatocytes induces autophagy. However, the biological significance of HCV‐induced autophagy has not been clarified. Autophagy has recently been identified as a novel component of the innate immune system against viral infection.

The use of whole organ decellularization for the generation of a vascularized liver organoid

Pedro M. Baptista, Mohummad M. Siddiqui, Genevieve Lozier, Sergio R. Rodriguez, Anthony Atala, Shay Soker – 12 November 2010 – A major roadblock to successful organ bioengineering is the need for a functional vascular network within the engineered tissue. Here, we describe the fabrication of three‐dimensional, naturally derived scaffolds with an intact vascular tree. Livers from different species were perfused with detergent to selectively remove the cellular components of the tissue while preserving the extracellular matrix components and the intact vascular network.

Unrecognized acetaminophen toxicity as a cause of indeterminate acute liver failure

Niraj Khandelwal, Laura P. James, Corron Sanders, Anne M. Larson, William M. Lee, and the Acute Liver Failure Study Group – 4 November 2010 – Despite extensive investigations, the cause of liver injury in 14% of patients with acute liver failure remains unknown (indeterminate). In a pilot study using a novel assay, highly specific acetaminophen‐cysteine adducts were detected in 7 of 36 indeterminate patients (19%).

Hepatocyte nuclear factor‐4 alpha regulates liver triglyceride metabolism in part through secreted phospholipase A2 GXIIB

Min Guan, Linbing Qu, Wenjuan Tan, Ling Chen, Chi‐Wai Wong – 4 November 2010 – Hepatocyte nuclear factor‐4 alpha (HNF‐4α) is an important transcription factor governing the expression of genes involved in multiple metabolic pathways. Secreted phospholipase A2 GXIIB (PLA2GXIIB) is an atypical member of a class of secreted phospholipases A2. We establish in this study that PLA2GXIIB is an HNF‐4α target gene. We demonstrate that HNF‐4α binds to a response element on the PLA2GXIIB promoter. Moreover, HNF‐4α agonists induce PLA2GXIIB expression in human hepatocarcinoma cells.

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