Figure 6.

Apoptosis and pyroptosis involvement in HCV spread. Huh-7.5 cells or Huh-7.5 KO cells (NLRP3 or GSDM-D or caspase-3) were infected with HCV at MOI = 1 or left uninfected and allowed to propagate for 3 days following infection. (A) Cells were harvested for Western Blot analysis and membranes were probed for HCV core protein and GAPDH. (B) Cells were fixed using acetone and subsequently stained using an antibody specific for HCV core protein (green) and nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue) for analysis by fluorescence microscopy. Scale bar, 100 μm (C) Cells and cell culture fluids were harvested for determination of intra- and extracellular titres, respectively. Titre was determined using limiting dilution assay. * indicates p < 0.05 for differences in extracellular titre, # indicates p < 0.05 for differences in intracellular titre. (A–C) Data are representative of three independent experiments.