Journal: One Health
Article Title: Human 3D liver spheroids support productive infection of a novel tick-borne phenuivirus
doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101321
Figure Lengend Snippet: Adaptation and pathogenesis of MKWV in human 3D liver spheroids. (A) Schematic of serial passaging of the HLJ1 strain in spheroids, yielding the adapted NAC-Org5 strain. (B, C) Viral RNA copies (B) and TCID₅₀ titers (C) across passages (P1-P5). (D) Bright-field image of spheroids infected with passage 5 (P5) virus, showing structural disruption. Scale bar, 100 μm. (E) Quantification of spheroid diameter post-infection. (F) Transmission electron micrographs of virions within cytoplasmic vesicles of infected spheroids. Scale bars: 1 μm (left), 200 nm (right). (G) Representative images and quantification of nuclei showing infection-induced cell death. Scale bar, 200 μm. (H) Western blot detecting cleaved caspase-3 in spheroids at 48 and 72 h post-infection (hpi). (I) Multiplex immunofluorescence showing NAC-Org5 tropism for CD31 + endothelial cells and CD68 + Kupffer cells, with weaker detection in ALB + hepatocytes. Scale bar, 200 μm. (J) Functional assessment of infected spheroids: ATP (viability), ALT/AST/LDH (damage), ALB/urea (synthetic function). (K) RT-qPCR analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression, normalized to β-actin. Data are mean ± SD ( n = 5 biological replicates). * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.
Article Snippet: Primary human hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and Kupffer cells (IxCell Biotechnology) were mixed at specific ratios and co-incubated with NAC-Linker A and B (Puheng Biomedicine, NAC001) to facilitate NAC structure formation on the cell surfaces.
Techniques: Passaging, Infection, Virus, Disruption, Transmission Assay, Western Blot, Multiplex Assay, Immunofluorescence, Functional Assay, Quantitative RT-PCR, Expressing