The Dual Role of Exosomes in Hepatitis A and C Virus Transmission and Viral Immune Activation.
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.
['Longatti|Andrea|A|']
D003713:Dendritic Cells D055354:Exosomes D016174:Hepacivirus D030041:Hepatitis A virus D006801:Humans D053586:Virus Internalization D057074:Virus Release
exosomes transmission Hepatitis A virus Hepatitis C virus plasmacytoid dendritic cells innate immunity interferon immune evasion infection