Virus spread in the liver: mechanisms, commonalities, and unanswered questions

Abstract

The liver is home to five known human hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A virus-hepatitis E virus). Despite being phylogenetically unrelated, these viruses replicate and spread in the liver without causing apparent cytopathic effects, and all have evolved strategies to counteract antibody-mediated inhibition of virus spread. In this review, we discuss the current understanding regarding the spread mechanisms for these viruses with an attempt to extract common principles and identify key questions for future studies.

Keywords: antibody neutralization; cell-to-cell transmission; hepatitis A virus; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; hepatitis D virus; hepatitis E virus; quasi-envelopment; virus entry; virus spread.