乙肝病毒感染对细胞基本自噬的影响

【目的】慢性乙肝病毒(Hepatitis B virus,HBV)感染在肝硬化和肝癌的发生过程中起着重要的作用,通过研究HBV感染对细胞基本自噬的影响,为HBV感染诱发肝癌以及HBV的免疫逃逸机理研究提供新的思路。【方法】本研究利用乙肝病毒表达质粒瞬时或稳定转染不同肝细胞,通过计数绿色荧光蛋白(greenfluorescent protein,GFP)聚集数目检测自噬小体形成,western blot检测LC3(microtubule-associated proteinlight chain 3,微管相关蛋白质轻链3)脂酰化和p62的降解,通过构建HBV B型和C型X蛋白(HBx)的表达质粒并瞬时转染肝癌细胞和正常肝细胞,对不同基因型X蛋白对细胞自噬的影响进行了分析。【结果】乙肝病毒感染后促进了LC3的脂酰化和p62的降解,增加了自噬小体的形成,增强了细胞的基本自噬。进一步研究发现,HBV感染增强的细胞基本自噬水平由HBx所引发,且C型HBx比B型对细胞基本自噬的增加更加显著。【结论】HBV通过HBx增强细胞的基本自噬,且不同基因型HBx对细胞基本自噬的增强程度不同,为进一步阐明HBV感染机理奠定了基础。     

Hepatitis B virus X protein regulates hepatic glucose homeostasis via activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase

Dysregulation of liver functions leads to insulin resistance causing type 2 diabetes mellitus and is often found in chronic liver diseases. However, the mechanisms of hepatic dysfunction leading to hepatic metabolic disorder are still poorly understood in chronic liver diseases. The current work investigated the role of hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) in regulating glucose metabolism. We studied HBx-overexpressing (HBxTg) mice and HBxTg mice lacking inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Here we show that gene expressions of the key gluconeogenic enzymes were significantly increased in HepG2 cells expressing HBx (HepG2-HBx) and in non-tumor liver tissues of hepatitis B virus patients with high levels of HBx expression. In the liver of HBxTg mice, the expressions of gluconeogenic genes were also elevated, leading to hyperglycemia by increasing hepatic glucose production. However, this effect was insufficient to cause systemic insulin resistance. Importantly, the actions of HBx on hepatic glucose metabolism are thought to be mediated via iNOS signaling, as evidenced by the fact that deficiency of iNOS restored HBx-induced hyperglycemia by suppressing the gene expression of gluconeogenic enzymes. Treatment of HepG2-HBx cells with nitric oxide (NO) caused a significant increase in the expression of gluconeogenic genes, but JNK1 inhibition was completely normalized. Furthermore, hyperactivation of JNK1 in the liver of HBxTg mice was also suppressed in the absence of iNOS, indicating the critical role for JNK in the mutual regulation of HBx- and iNOS-mediated glucose metabolism. These findings establish a novel mechanism of HBx-driven hepatic metabolic disorder that is modulated by iNOS-mediated activation of JNK.     

Dynamics of MAL2 during glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein transcytotic transport to the apical surface of hepatoma HepG2 cells

Delivery of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins to the apical surface takes place by transcytosis in hepatocytes and also probably in epithelial Madin-Darby canine cells. The integral protein MAL2 was demonstrated to be essential for basolateral-to-apical transcytosis in hepatoma HepG2 cells. Reduction of endogenous MAL2 levels impedes cargo delivery to the apical membrane, but, paradoxically, cargo does not accumulate in the subapical compartment where MAL2 predominantly resides but in distant endosome elements. To understand how transcytosis can be apparently mediated at a distance, we have analyzed the dynamics of machinery and cargo by live-cell imaging of MAL2 and transcytosing CD59, a GPI-anchored protein, in HepG2 cells. MAL2 was revealed as being a highly dynamic protein. Soon after basolateral endocytosis of CD59, a fraction of MAL2 redistributed into peripheral vesicular clusters that concentrated CD59 and that were accessible to transferrin (Tf) receptor, a basolateral recycling protein. Following Tf receptor segregation, the clusters fused in a MAL2(+)globular structure and moved toward the apical surface for CD59 delivery. All these processes were impaired in cells with reduced MAL2 content. Other GPI-anchored proteins examined behave similarly. As MAL2 is expressed by many types of epithelia, the sorting events described herein are probably of quite general utility.     

Hepatitis B virus X protein induces TNF-alpha expression via down-regulation of selenoprotein P in human hepatoma cell line,HepG2

Human hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is associated with the induction of oxidative stress, which is considered significant in the development of liver damage. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which HBx induced lipid peroxidation and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression through regulation of selenoprotein P (SeP) expression in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Forced expression of HBx significantly down-regulated the expression of SeP mRNA and protein in both the cell lysates and the culture medium. Lipid peroxidation increased 2.5-fold when expression of the SeP protein was blocked with a SeP antisense vector. Also, HBx transfection increased lipid peroxidation by 3.0-fold, whereas the hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) had no significant effects. The induction of lipid peroxidation due to the block in SeP protein expression or treatment with ferric chloride (FeCl(3)) up-regulated the expression levels of TNF-alpha mRNA and protein. The pattern of HBx-induced lipid peroxidation and TNF-alpha up-regulation was reversed by SeP introduction. These results suggest that HBx induces lipid peroxidation via down-regulation of SeP expression, resulting in increased expression of TNF-alpha in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2.     

Human hepatitis B virus X protein induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells: role of BH3 domain

The smallest protein of hepatitis B virus, HBX, has been implicated in the development of liver diseases by interfering with normal cellular processes. Its role in cell proliferation has been unclear as both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic activities have been reported. We showed molecular evidence that HBX induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. A Bcl-2 Homology Domain 3 was identified in HBX, which interacted with anti-apoptotic but not pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. HBX induced apoptosis when transfected into HepG2 cells, as demonstrated by both flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity. However, HBX protein may not be stable in apoptotic cells triggered by its own expression as only its mRNA or the fusion protein with the glutathione-S-transferase was detected in transfected cells. Our results suggested that HBX behaved as a pro-apoptotic protein and was able to induce apoptosis.     

Enhanced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by hepatitis B virus infection in liver cells

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of human liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prognosis for HCC is largely dependent on the clinicopathological characteristics regarding invasion and metastasis. Enhanced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression has been implicated as playing an important role in metastasis and invasion of HCC. However, the relationship between HBV infection and MMP-9 expression in HCC is currently poorly understood. We report here on a study of the levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression in human fetal liver tissue, rat liver tissue, and Chang, HepG2, and Hep3B cells by gelatin zymography. Among these sources, Hep3B cells, which contain the integrated hepatitis B viral genome, continuously secrete the hepatitis B viral surface antigen, and express HBV genomic RNA, expressed high levels of proMMP-9, and a small amount of active MMP-9 was detected in Hep3B cells as assayed by zymography. We investigated the issue of whether HBV infection affects MMP-9 expression, which is known to play an important role in HCC invasion and metastasis. As a first step, human fetal hepatocyte (HFH) and HepG2 (HCC origin, HBV not detected) cells were subjected to infection with HBV, and the resulting infected cells successfully established are hereafter referred to as HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV. The expression of MMP-9 was upregulated by the infected HBV in HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV cells, as assayed by zymography, Northern blot, and Western blot analysis, and small amounts of active MMP-9 were detected in HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV cells as assayed by zymography. The activation of the immature proMMP-9 to the mature MMP-9 could be induced by plasmin treatment. The activation of proMMP-9 was increased to a greater extent with plasmin treatment than without plasmin in HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV cells but the addition of recombinant TIMP-1 inhibited the activation of proMMP-9. Finally, the addition of plasmin to the invasion assay using Matrigel resulted in an increase in invasiveness of HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV cells, as well as MMP-9 activation, but the treatment with TIMP-1 inhibited the invasiveness of HFH-T2 and HepG2-HBV cells as well as MMP-9 activation. We conclude from these findings that HBV infection of hepatocytes and HepG2 cells affected the upregulation of MMP-9 expression and MMP-9 activation and, thus, increased the invasion potential by plasmin. To our knowledge, this is a first report showing that an HBV infection is linked to the upregulation of MMP-9 in HCC.     

Inhibitory effect of silibinin on hepatitis B virus entry

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem because of its potential to cause liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Silibinin is a constituent of an extract of milk thistle, which is empirically used as a herbal medicine for the protection of liver, but its detailed effects on HBV are unknown. Because a previous study reported that silibinin hinders clathlin-mediated endocytosis (CME), we aimed to test whether silibinin inhibits the entry of HBV into hepatocytes. Using HepG2-NTCP-C4 cells, which overexpress sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), it was shown that silibinin inhibited HBV infection dose-dependently. Similar effects were observed using human primary hepatocytes (PXB-cells). Additionally, a combination of silibinin and entecavir reduced HBV DNA in the culture supernatant more than either mono-treatment alone in HepG2-NTCP-C4 cells that had already been infected with HBV. Silibinin decreased transferrin uptake but did not affect the interaction between the HBV envelope and NTCP, suggesting that silibinin might inhibit HBV infection by hindering CME. In conclusion, this study showed that silibinin inhibits HBV entry in vitro.     

Hepatitis B virus regulatory HBx protein binds to adaptor protein IPS-1 and inhibits the activation of beta interferon

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) encodes the regulatory HBx protein, which is required for virus replication, although its specific role(s) in the replication cycle remains under investigation. An immunoprecipitation/mass spectrometry approach was used to identify four novel HBx binding proteins from the cytoplasmic fraction of HBx transgenic mouse livers. One of these HBx binding partners is beta interferon promoter stimulator 1 (IPS-1), an adaptor protein that plays a critical role in mediating retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling, which leads to the activation of beta interferon (IFN-β). The HBx-IPS-1 protein interaction was confirmed in plasmid-transfected HepG2 cells by reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation and Western blotting. We hypothesized that HBx might alter IPS-1 function since proteins of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis A virus similarly bind IPS-1 and target it for inactivation. The effect of HBx on IPS-1-mediated IFN-β signaling was tested in transfected 293T and HepG2 cells, and we show that HBx inhibits double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-mediated IFN-β activation in a dose-dependent manner when expressed either alone or within the context of HBV replication. However, HBx does not inhibit poly(I:C)-activated IFN-β signaling. These results demonstrate that HBx interferes with the RIG-I pathway of innate immunity. Hepatitis B virus now joins hepatitis C virus and hepatitis A virus in targeting the same innate immune response pathway, presumably as a shared strategy to benefit replication of these viruses in the liver.     

Hepatitis B virus splice-generated protein induces T-cell responses in HLA-transgenic mice and hepatitis B virus-infected patients

Hepatitis B virus splice-generated protein (HBSP), encoded by a spliced hepatitis B virus RNA, was recently identified in liver biopsy specimens from patients with chronic active hepatitis B. We investigated the possible generation of immunogenic peptides by the processing of this protein in vivo. We identified a panel of potential epitopes in HBSP by using predictive computational algorithms for peptide binding to HLA molecules. We used transgenic mice devoid of murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules and positive for human MHC class I molecules to characterize immune responses specific for HBSP. Two HLA-A2-restricted peptides and one immunodominant HLA-B7-restricted epitope were identified following the immunization of mice with DNA vectors encoding HBSP. Most importantly, a set of overlapping peptides covering the HBSP sequence induced significant HBSP-specific T-cell responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with chronic hepatitis B. The response was multispecific, as several epitopes were recognized by CD8(+) and CD4(+) human T cells. This study provides the first evidence that this protein generated in vivo from an alternative reading frame of the hepatitis B virus genome activates T-cell responses in hepatitis B virus-infected patients. Given that hepatitis B is an immune response-mediated disease, the detection of T-cell responses directed against HBSP in patients with chronic hepatitis B suggests a potential role for this protein in liver disease progression.     

Protease-induced infectivity of hepatitis B virus for a human hepatoblastoma cell line.

The human hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2 produces and secretes hepatitis B virus (HBV) after transfection of cloned HBV DNA. Intact virions do not infect these cells, although they attach to the surface of the HepG2 cell through binding sites in the pre-S1 domain. Entry of enveloped virions into the cell often requires proteolytic cleavage of a viral surface protein that is involved in fusion between the cell membrane and the viral envelope. Recently, we observed pre-S-independent, nonspecific binding between hepatitis B surface (HBs) particles and HepG2 cells after treatment of HBs antigen particles with V8 protease, which cleaves next to a putative fusion sequence. Chymotrypsin removed this fusion sequence and did not induce binding. In this study, we postulate that lack of a suitable fusion-activating protease was the reason why the HepG2 cells were not susceptible to HBV. To test this hypothesis, virions were partially purified from the plasma of HBV carriers and treated with either staphylococcal V8 or porcine chymotrypsin protease. Protease-digested virus lost reactivity with pre-S2-specific antibody but remained morphologically intact as determined by electron microscopy. After separation from the proteases, virions were incubated with HepG2 cells at pH 5.5. Cultures inoculated with either intact or chymotrypsin-digested virus did not contain detectable levels of intracellular HBV DNA at any time following infection. However, in cultures inoculated with V8-digested virions, HBV-specific products, including covalently closed circular DNA, viral RNA, and viral pre-S2 antigen, could be detected in a time-dependent manner following infection. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that 10 to 30% of the infected HepG2 cells produced HBV antigen. Persistent secretion of virus by the infected HepG2 cells lasted at least 14 days and was maintained during several reseeding steps. The results show that V8-digested HBV can productively infect tissue cultures of HepG2 cells. It is suggested that proteolysis-dependent exposure of a fusion domain within the envelope protein of HBV is necessary during natural infection.     

A molecularly cloned hepatitis B virus produced in vitro is infectious in a chimpanzee.

The infectivity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) produced in vitro by HepG2 cells transfected with HBV DNA (HepG2T14) has been assayed in a chimpanzee. Following inoculation, the chimpanzee underwent a typical course of type B hepatitis infection, characterized by elevation of serum aminotransferases and by histological identification of hepatic damage. Hepatitis B surface antigen and core-related antigen appeared in the serum at weeks 5 and 7, respectively, after infection. HBV DNA was detected in serum samples, and replicative forms of the HBV genome were identified in liver biopsies. Subtype identification of hepatitis B surface antigen and restriction enzyme analysis of HBV DNA in both the inoculum and the serum of the infected chimpanzee confirmed that the hepatitis B infection observed in this animal was caused by viral particles produced by HepG2T14 cells. These findings indicate that, although HepG2 cells do not seem to be susceptible to infection by HBV in vitro, they can produce biologically active infectious virions after transfection with cloned HBV DNA.     

Intracellular hepatitis B virus increases hepatic cholesterol deposition in alcoholic fatty liver via hepatitis B core protein

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a prevalent infectious disease with serious outcomes like chronic and acute hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the metabolic alteration by HBV is rarely taken into consideration. With the high prevalence of alcohol consumption and chronic HBV infection, their overlap is assumed to be an increasing latent hazard; although the extent has not been calculated. Moreover, the impact of chronic alcohol consumption combined with HBV on cholesterol metabolism is unknown. Six-week-old male FVB/Ncrl mice were hydrodynamically injected with a pGEM-4Z-1.3HBV vector and then fed an ethanol diet for 6 weeks. Serum biomarkers and liver histology, liver cholesterol levels, and cholesterol metabolism-related molecules were measured. In vitro assays with HBx, hepatitis B surface (HBs), or hepatitis B core (HBc) protein expression in HepG2 cells costimulated with ethanol were conducted to assess the cholesterol metabolism. HBV expression synergistically increased cholesterol deposition in the setting of alcoholic fatty liver. The increase of intrahepatic cholesterol was due to metabolic alteration in cholesterol metabolism, including increased cholesterol synthesis, decreased cholesterol degradation, and impaired cholesterol uptake. Overexpression of HBV component HBc, but not HBs or HBx, selectively promoted the hepatocellular cholesterol level.