%A Liu,Tie-Mei %A Wang,Han %A Zhang,Dong-Na %A Zhu,Guang-Ze %D 2019 %J Frontiers in Microbiology %C %F %G English %K Hepatitis C virus,MAFB,type I interferon,CD14+ monocytes,Immunoregulation %Q %R 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01814 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2019-August-07 %9 Original Research %# %! MafB regulates type I IFN in HCV infection %* %< %T Transcription Factor MafB Suppresses Type I Interferon Production by CD14+ Monocytes in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01814 %V 10 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1664-302X %X Transcription factor MafB regulates differentiation and activity of monocytes/macrophage and is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and cancers. However, the role of MafB in modulation of CD14+ monocytes in chronic viral hepatitis was not fully elucidated. Thus, the aim of current study was to investigate the immunoregulatory function of MafB to type I interferon (IFN) secretion by CD14+ monocytes and its contribution to pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A total of 29 chronic hepatitis C patients and 21 healthy individuals were enrolled. Serum IFN-α1 and IFN-β was measured by ELISA, while MafB mRNA and protein expression were assessed by real-time PCR and Western blot. MafB siRNA or MafB expression plasmid was transfected into purified CD14+ monocytes to suppress or increase MafB expression. The function of MafB siRNA transfected CD14+ monocytes to HCV in cell culture (HCVcc)-infected Huh7.5 cells or CD4+ T cells was also investigated in direct and indirect contact co-culture system. Serum IFN-α1 and IFN-β was robustly reduced in chronic hepatitis C patients. By contrast, MafB was notably elevated in chronic hepatitis C patients and negatively correlated with serum IFN-α1. Overexpression of MafB reduced the IFN-α1 production by CD14+ monocytes from healthy individuals. However, MafB inhibition elevated IFN-α1 secretion by CD14+ monocytes and interferon regulatory factor 3 phosphorylation in chronic hepatitis C. MafB inhibition also promoted CD14+ monocytes-induced viral clearance in HCVcc-infected Huh7.5 cells by up-regulation of IFN-α1 and IFN-β without increasingly destroying hepatocytes, however, did not affect CD14+ monocytes-induced CD4+ T cells differentiation in chronic hepatitis C patients. The current data revealed that overexpression of MafB in chronic hepatitis C patients might suppress type I IFN production by CD14+ monocytes, leading to the viral persistence. MafB might be a potential therapeutic target for treatment of chronic hepatitis C.