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How the antiviral immune response boosts liver fat

Nature Medicine volume 19, pages 671–672 (2013)Cite this article

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Liver steatosis is a characteristic feature of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and the virus itself is known to alter the lipid metabolism of infected hepatocytes. A recent study shows that HCV co-opts the antiviral innate immune response to stimulate the production of hepatic fat droplets, which it can then use to complete its own life cycle and spread (pages 722–729).

All liver cells contain a fine dispersion of fat droplets in their cytoplasm. These droplets, generally called lipid droplets, are encapsulated by phospholipids and highly dynamic. When food is abundant, increased amounts of triglycerides and cholesterol esters are stored, and lipid droplets grow in number and size. Fasting or exercise triggers lipid droplet breakdown, especially in adipose tissue. The precise signals that regulate the turnover of lipid droplets in the liver are still poorly understood, but the equilibrium between lipogenesis and lipolysis is well known to be highly sensitive to disturbances inflicted by diet, stress or viral infections.

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Figure 1: A proposed mechanism linking the host antiviral immune response to HCV and lipid droplet formation in the liver.

Katie Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gregory Camus and Melanie Ott are at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,

    Gregory Camus & Melanie Ott

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  1. Gregory Camus
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  2. Melanie Ott
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Correspondence to Melanie Ott.

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Camus, G., Ott, M. How the antiviral immune response boosts liver fat. Nat Med 19, 671–672 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3226

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