Alcohol could compromise the anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) function of interferon-alpha (IFN-α). However, little information is available about the effect of alcohol on interferon-lambda (IFN-λ, type III IFN), a novel candidate for development of therapy for HCV infection. Huh7 cells were infected with HCV JFH-1 virus, then treated with alcohol, and/or IFN-λ1. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the levels of HCV and key cellular factors. Overexpression or silencing expression was performed to verify the role of key factors in alcohol-attenuated anti-HCV function of IFN-λ1. Alcohol treatment compromised anti-HCV effect of IFN-λ1 in HCV JFH-1-infected Huh7 cells, evidenced by the significantly increased levels of HCV RNA, and HCV core protein in alcohol-/IFN-λ1-treated cells compared to cells with IFN-λ1 treatment alone. Investigation of the mechanisms responsible for the alcohol action revealed that alcohol enhanced the expression of protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIASy). Overexpression of PIASy compromised anti-HCV ability of IFN-λ1, whereas silencing expression of PIASy partly restored the alcohol-attenuated anti-HCV effect of IFN-λ1. More importantly, overexpression of PIASy significantly down-regulated the level of IFN-λ1-indcued phosphorylation of STAT1 (p-STAT1), an important adaptor in IFN-λ pathway, as well as reduced the expression of IFN-λ1-induced IFN-stimulated genes 56 (ISG56), and myxovirus resistance 1 (Mx1), two antiviral effectors in in IFN-λ pathway. These findings indicate that alcohol, through inducing the expression of negative regulator in IFN-λ pathway, inhibits IFN-λ-mediated anti-HCV action in human hepatic cells, which may lead to the poor efficacy of IFN-λ-based therapy against HCV infection.
Keywords: IFN-λ1; PIASy; alcohol; hepatitis C virus.
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