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A Useful Method to Provide Infectious and Cultivable In Vitro Naked Viral Particles of Hepatitis A Virus
Gwenaëlle Verbrugghe1,2, Chloé Soudan-Foulques3, Audrey Fraisse2
1Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UR FRISE, 92160 Antony, France.
Abstract:
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an enteric virus mainly transmitted by the faecal-oral route. Belonging to the Picornaviridae family, HAV was first described as small naked particles, like all viruses of this family. However, for about a decade, it was demonstrated that HAV particles can exist surrounded by a lipid bilayer. This type of particle, called enveloped HAV (eHAV), acquires its lipid bilayer by hijacking a part of cell membranes during the virion egress in the last steps of the viral cycle. In vitro culture systems produce mainly eHAV, and so, to date, most of the studies on HAV have been carried out using this type of viral particle. In this study, a method based on lipid bilayer removal by chemical delipidation is proposed for the production of naked HAV particles. The resulting naked HAV particles conserve their infectivity and are therefore fully cultivable in vitro. By using this method, naked HAV particles can easily be produced in vitro and can be useful to perform further studies such as inactivation processes for the food industry, as HAV is a main concern for food safety.
Insights
Researchers developed a method to produce naked Hepatitis A virus (HAV) particles. This advancement allows for easier study of naked HAV, crucial for food safety and inactivation processes.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Food Safety
- Microbiology
Background:
- Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route and belongs to the Picornaviridae family.
- HAV particles were initially described as naked, but enveloped HAV (eHAV) particles, acquiring a lipid bilayer during egress, are predominantly produced in vitro.
- Most existing HAV research utilizes eHAV, potentially limiting understanding of naked HAV characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for producing purified naked Hepatitis A virus (HAV) particles in vitro.
- To demonstrate that chemically delipidated naked HAV particles retain infectivity and are cultivable.
- To provide a tool for further research into HAV inactivation processes relevant to food safety.
Main Methods:
- Chemical delipidation was employed to remove the lipid bilayer from enveloped HAV (eHAV) particles.
- The infectivity and cultivability of the resulting naked HAV particles were assessed in vitro.
- The method facilitates the production of pure naked HAV for experimental use.
Main Results:
- A chemical delipidation method successfully produced naked HAV particles.
- The resulting naked HAV particles maintained their infectivity and were fully cultivable in vitro.
- This technique enables straightforward in vitro production of naked HAV.
Conclusions:
- The developed delipidation method provides a reliable way to generate infectious naked HAV particles.
- Easily produced naked HAV particles are valuable for studying HAV inactivation, particularly for the food industry.
- This research addresses a key concern in food safety by facilitating the study of Hepatitis A virus.
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