Peripheral B Cells as Reservoirs for Persistent HCV Infection

Figure 1 | Proposed lifecycle of HCV in B cell.The life cycle of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has several specific steps.Virus entry is mediated by the direct interaction of envelope glycoproteins with co-receptors, presumably E2-CD81 binding.CLDN1 and SR-BI are not expressed in B cell.Innate immunity response against HCV is suppressed by HCV infection.Some HCV-encoding proteins, i.e., core and NS3, have been proven to be expressed in B cells.HCV RNA replication was examined by nested PCR and in situ hybridization.Mechanisms of virus assembly, vesicle fusion, and virion release in B cell remain unknown.LDLR, low-density lipoprotein receptor; SR-BI, scavenger receptor class B type I; SR-BII, scavenger receptor class B type II; CLDN1, claudin-1; OCLN, occludin; CXCR3, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 3; IP-10, interferon gamma-induced protein-10.www.frontiersin.org