Micropatterned coculture of primary human hepatocytes and supportive cells for the study of hepatotropic pathogens. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The development of therapies and vaccines for human hepatropic pathogens requires robust model systems that enable the study of host-pathogen interactions. However, in vitro liver models of infection typically use either hepatoma cell lines that exhibit aberrant physiology or primary human hepatocytes in culture conditions in which they rapidly lose their hepatic phenotype. To achieve stable and robust in vitro primary human hepatocyte models, we developed micropatterned cocultures (MPCCs), which consist of primary human hepatocytes organized into 2D islands that are surrounded by supportive fibroblast cells. By using this system, which can be established over a period of days, and maintained over multiple weeks, we demonstrate how to recapitulate in vitro hepatic life cycles for the hepatitis B and C viruses and the Plasmodium pathogens P. falciparum and P. vivax. The MPCC platform can be used to uncover aspects of host-pathogen interactions, and it has the potential to be used for drug and vaccine development.

publication date

  • November 19, 2015

Research

keywords

  • Coculture Techniques
  • Hepacivirus
  • Hepatitis B virus
  • Hepatocytes
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Plasmodium

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC5867906

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84947934013

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/hep.22550

PubMed ID

  • 26584444

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 10

issue

  • 12