医学部 ウイルス学

hironori nishitsuji

  (西辻 裕紀)

Profile Information

Affiliation
Fujita Health University

Other name(s) (e.g. nickname)
Fujita Health University
Researcher number
20573661
J-GLOBAL ID
201801009029607414
researchmap Member ID
B000307817

Research Areas

 1

Papers

 54
  • Asako Murayama, Hitomi Igarashi, Norie Yamada, Hussein Hassan Aly, Natalia Molchanova, Jennifer S Lin, Hironori Nishitsuji, Kunitada Shimotohno, Masamichi Muramatsu, Annelise E Barron, Takanobu Kato
    Antiviral research, 223 105821-105821, Mar, 2024  
    Although antimicrobial peptides have been shown to inactivate viruses through disruption of their viral envelopes, clinical use of such peptides has been hampered by a number of factors, especially their enzymatically unstable structures. To overcome the shortcomings of antimicrobial peptides, peptoids (sequence-specific N-substituted glycine oligomers) mimicking antimicrobial peptides have been developed. We aimed to demonstrate the antiviral effects of antimicrobial peptoids against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in cell culture. The anti-HBV activity of antimicrobial peptoids was screened and evaluated in an infection system involving the HBV reporter virus and HepG2.2.15-derived HBV. By screening with the HBV reporter virus infection system, three (TM1, TM4, and TM19) of 12 peptoids were identified as reducing the infectivity of HBV, though they did not alter the production levels of HBs antigen in cell culture. These peptoids were not cytotoxic at the evaluated concentrations. Among these peptoids, TM19 was confirmed to reduce HBV infection most potently in a HepG2.2.15-derived HBV infection system that closely demonstrates authentic HBV infection. In cell culture, the most effective administration of TM19 was virus treatment at the infection step, but the reduction in HBV infectivity by pre-treatment or post-treatment of cells with TM19 was minimal. The disrupting effect of TM19 targeting infectious viral particles was clarified in iodixanol density gradient analysis. In conclusion, the peptoid TM19 was identified as a potent inhibitor of HBV. This peptoid prevents HBV infection by disrupting viral particles and is a candidate for a new class of anti-HBV reagents.
  • Koji Fujita, Hironori Nishitsuji, Hisakazu Iwama, Tomoko Tadokoro, Asahiro Morishita, Shima Mimura, Masafumi Ono, Takashi Himoto, Kunitada Shimotohno, Tsutomu Masaki
    Gene, 853 147068-147068, Feb 15, 2023  
    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most serious global health problems. Our previous data using an in vitro assay revealed that miR-6126 suppressed the extracellular HBs antigen level, suggesting that miR-6126 had potential to suppress viral activity of HBV. In the current study, we aimed to clarify whether miR-6126 downregulated the expression level of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), a host cell receptor required for HBV entry. In brief, HepG2-NTCP cells were utilized to evaluate the expression level of NTCP and the PreS1 attachment to NTCP after transfection with miR-6126. The protein expression level of NTCP was evaluated using Western blot analysis and immunostaining. In addition to HepG2-NTCP cells, PXB cells were also utilized to validate inhibitory effect of miR-6126 on PreS1 attachment. The HBs antigen level in the culture supernatant was measured to evaluate reduction of HBV entry into hepatocytes. The stability of NTCP mRNA was evaluated to ascertain the cause of the downregulation of NTCP mRNA. The expression profile of messenger RNAs was evaluated using next-generation sequencing to search for direct targets of miR-6126. Consequently, transfection of miR-6126 decreased the NTCP expression level in HepG2-NTCP cells. Attachment of the PreS1 probe on the cell surface decreased in HepG2-NTCP cells and PXB cells, primary human hepatocytes. HBs antigen level in the culture supernatant also declined in PXB cells. Stability of NTCP mRNA was reduced by miR-6126 transfection in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, miR-6126 downregulated the expression of NTCP mRNA, which contributed to the inhibition of HBV entry into hepatocytes exerted by miR-6126.
  • Takayuki Murata, Satoko Iwahori, Yusuke Okuno, Hironori Nishitsuji, Yusuke Yanagi, Koichi Watashi, Takaji Wakita, Hiroshi Kimura, Kunitada Shimotohno
    International journal of molecular sciences, 24(3), Jan 23, 2023  
    N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a post-transcriptional modification of RNA involved in transcript transport, degradation, translation, and splicing. We found that HBV RNA is modified by m6A predominantly in the coding region of HBx. The mutagenesis of methylation sites reduced the HBV mRNA and HBs protein levels. The suppression of m6A by an inhibitor or knockdown in primary hepatocytes decreased the viral RNA and HBs protein levels in the medium. These results suggest that the m6A modification of HBV RNA is needed for the efficient replication of HBV in hepatocytes.
  • Keigo Yato, Mami Matsuda, Kento Fukano, Tomohisa Tanaka, Kohji Moriishi, Hironori Nishitsuji, Kunitada Shimotohno, Koji Tamura, Takaji Wakita, Masamichi Muramatsu, Takanobu Kato, Ryosuke Suzuki
    Virus research, 323 199014-199014, Jan 2, 2023  
    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem. The sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) has been identified as an essential HBV receptor. Human hepatocytes are infected with HBV via binding between the preS1 region of the HBV large envelope protein and the NTCP. However, the role of preS2 in HBV entry is not well understood. In this study, we induced anti-preS2 serum in mice by DNA immunization, and showed that the resulting antiserum neutralized HBV infectivity. Competition assays using overlapping peptides suggested that the neutralizing epitope is located in the N-terminal region of preS2. In addition, monoclonal antibodies targeting the N-terminal region of preS2 neutralized HBV infectivity, indicating that these domains are critical epitopes for viral neutralization. These findings provide new insights into the HBV entry machinery while suggesting a novel modality for the prevention and treatment of HBV infection.
  • Ayaka Washizaki, Asako Murayama, Megumi Murata, Tomoko Kiyohara, Keigo Yato, Norie Yamada, Hussein Hassan Aly, Tomohisa Tanaka, Kohji Moriishi, Hironori Nishitsuji, Kunitada Shimotohno, Yasumasa Goh, Ken J. Ishii, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi, Masamichi Muramatsu, Koji Ishii, Yoshimasa Takahashi, Ryosuke Suzuki, Hirofumi Akari, Takanobu Kato
    Nature Communications, 13(1), Sep 5, 2022  
    Abstract Although the current hepatitis B (HB) vaccine comprising small-HBs antigen (Ag) is potent and safe, attenuated prophylaxis against hepatitis B virus (HBV) with vaccine-escape mutations (VEMs) has been reported. We investigate an HB vaccine consisting of large-HBsAg that overcomes the shortcomings of the current HB vaccine. Yeast-derived large-HBsAg is immunized into rhesus macaques, and the neutralizing activities of the induced antibodies are compared with those of the current HB vaccine. Although the antibodies induced by the current HB vaccine cannot prevent HBV infection with VEMs, the large-HBsAg vaccine-induced antibodies neutralize those infections. The HBV genotypes that exhibited attenuated neutralization via these vaccines are different. Here, we show that the HB vaccine consisting of large-HBsAg is useful to compensate for the shortcomings of the current HB vaccine. The combined use of these HB vaccines may induce antibodies that can neutralize HBV strains with VEMs or multiple HBV genotypes.

Misc.

 4

Research Projects

 3