A dual role for hepatocyte-intrinsic canonical NF-κB signaling in virus control.

Background & Aims: Hepatic innate immune control of viral infections has largely been attributed to Kupffer cells, the liver-resident macrophages. However, hepatocytes, the parenchymal cells of the liver, also possess potent immunological functions in addition to their known metabolic functions. Owing to their abundance in the liver and known immunological functions, we aimed to investigate the direct antiviral mechanisms employed by hepatocytes.

Gut microbial translocation corrupts myeloid cell function to control bacterial infection during liver cirrhosis.

Objective: Patients with liver cirrhosis suffer from increased susceptibility to life-threatening bacterial infections that cause substantial morbidity.

Methods: Experimental liver fibrosis in mice induced by bile duct ligation or CCl application was used to characterise the mechanisms determining failure of innate immunity to control bacterial infections.

Results: In murine liver fibrosis, translocation of gut microbiota induced tonic type I interferon (IFN) expression in the liver.