Acute expression of hepatitis C core protein in adult mouse liver: Mitochondrial stress and apoptosis

Abstract

Mice that are conditionally transgenic for HCV core protein, which is readily detected and morphologically associated with steatosis in individual hepatocytes, were developed. Acute expression of core protein causes mitochondrial stress, as demonstrated by a reduction in trx2 and in the apoptosis of core-positive hepatocytes. We speculate that these events could be involved in the clearance of virus during acute hepatitis C, by both reducing the burden of virus in the liver and effectively priming the immune response.