乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白(HBx):一种多功能的病毒调节因子

乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)的慢性感染是导致肝细胞癌(HCC)的主要危险因子。X蛋白(HBx)被认为在肝细胞癌的发生发展中起重要作用。X基因是HBV基因组最小的开放读码框,它编码的X蛋白含154个氨基酸,分子量约为16．5kD。HBx是一种多功能的病毒调节因子,通过调节细胞和病毒的转录活性、信号传导途径、基因毒性压力反应、蛋白质降解等,直接或间接地影响HBV的复制和增殖。HBx亦可影响细胞周期调控、细胞凋亡,从而可能在慢性活动性肝炎和肝硬化的病程中起到起始肿瘤形成的作用。     

HBXIP基因对乙肝病毒X蛋白诱导细胞凋亡的影响

探讨乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白结合蛋白(hepatitisBXinteractingprotein ,HBXIP)基因在乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白(HBX)诱导肝癌细胞凋亡时对细胞周期的影响.构建HBXIP基因真核表达载体pcDNA3 hbxip ,进行瞬时基因转染,将克隆有HBx基因的pCMV X (分别为1μg、2 μg和3μg)和pcDNA3 hbxip质粒分别和共转染至人H74 0 2肝癌细胞中(总体积分别为5 0 μl) .发现瞬时转染3μgpCMV X质粒后,肝癌细胞凋亡发生率为34 4 % ,肝癌细胞的细胞周期相关蛋白p2 7表达水平发生明显上调;与对照组相比,瞬时转染1μg、2 μg和3μg时,细胞周期蛋白D和细胞周期蛋白E的表达水平均发生明显上调,但随着HBX水平的增加细胞周期蛋白D和细胞周期蛋白E的表达水平发生明显下降;在稳定转染pCMV X质粒的H74 0 2 X肝癌细胞中无明显的细胞凋亡发生,研究发现p2 7的表达水平发生了明显下调,而细胞周期蛋白D和细胞周期蛋白E的表达水平发生了明显上调;当pcDNA3 hbxip质粒与pCMV X质粒进行共瞬时转染时,细胞凋亡发生率由pcDNA3质粒与pCMV X质粒共转染时的2 9 2 %下降为13 3% ,p2 7的表达水平发生了下调,但细胞周期蛋白D和细胞周期蛋白E的表达水平无明显变化.研究结果表明,瞬时转染一定剂量的x基因可导致肝癌细胞发生凋亡,细胞周期相关蛋白p2 7、细胞周期蛋白D和     

乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白与端粒酶的关系

端粒（telomere）是真核细胞染色体末端的重复序列,对维持染色体的稳定性具有重要作用 .端粒酶（telomerase）是维持端粒长度必需的一种逆转录酶,在细胞增殖、衰老、永生化 和癌变等方面具有重要的作用.在肿瘤细胞中端粒酶发生明显变化,有较高水平的表达和很 强的活性,成为肿瘤细胞的重要特征之一.乙型肝炎病毒（hepatitis B virus）X蛋白（HBx ）与肝癌的发生密切相关,HBx可以通过多种途径发挥致癌作用,其中一个重要的分子机制 ,即激活人端粒酶反转录酶hTERT（为端粒酶的催化亚单位）使细胞发生永生化而癌变.因此 ,详细阐明HBx与hTERT的关系对于揭示乙肝病毒致癌机制具有重要的意义.本文对HBV的分子 结构和HBx的分子生物学特性进行了详细的阐述,对HBx与hTERT及其调控因子的关系进行了 归纳和总结,有助于进一步阐明HBx的致癌机制.     

乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白定量试验与临床研究

HBV X蛋白 （HBx）是由乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）基因组编码的调控蛋白,与由乙肝引起的肝癌发生具有密切的关系。血清HBx对乙型肝炎、肝癌的诊断及发病机理研究有较高的临床应用价值。在表达并纯化HBx、制备出HBx单克隆抗体与酶标抗体的基础上,研制了HBx定量检测试剂盒（增强化学发光法）,对其灵敏度、特异性等指标进行分析,并将该试剂盒应用于临床研究。结果表明,原核表达并纯化的HBx纯度≥94%;试剂盒灵敏度达0.1ng/ml;线性范围达到0.5ng/ml -600ng/ml;特异性高,与球蛋白、脂蛋白、血红蛋白、酸性糖蛋白、HBc、HBe、HBs、HBV preS2不发生交叉反应;批间CV≤6.5%;临床标本检验慢性乙型肝炎阳性率为55%、肝硬化阳性率为68%、肝癌阳性率70%,表明此试剂盒可应用于乙肝、肝硬化、肝癌的临床诊断及发病机理研究。     

乙肝病毒X 蛋白通过CREB 上调HBx结合蛋白促进肝癌细胞迁移

乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白（hepatitis B virus X protein,HBx）对肝癌的发生发展具有十分重要的作用. HBx 具有促进肝癌迁移的作用,但其作用的分子机制不清. 本研究对 HBx 促进肝癌细胞迁移的分子机制进行了探讨. 伤口愈合和 Boyden’s chamber结果表明,HBx 可明显促进肝癌 HepG2 细胞迁移. 在稳定转染 HBx 的 HepG2（HepG2-X）细胞中转染 HBx 结合蛋白（hepatitis B X-interacting protein,HBXIP）的 RNA 干扰片段,可明显抑制 HBx 的促迁移作用. 免疫组化和实时定量 PCR 结果表明,HBXIP 在肝癌组织中显著高表达,并且与 HBx 表达成正相关. 荧光素酶报告基因和免疫印迹结果表明,HBx 显著增强 HBXIP 的启动子活性和蛋白质表达水平. 应用 HBx 的 RNA 干扰处理 HepG2-X 细胞,HBXIP 的启动子活性和蛋白质表达水平明显下降.将 HBXIP 启动子区的cAMP效应元件结合因子（CREB）结合位点突变后,HBx 上调 HBXIP 的作用消失. 应用 CREB 的 RNA 干扰处理肝癌细胞,在启动子水平和蛋白质水平上, HBx 对 HBXIP 的上调作用被显著抑制. 染色质免疫共沉淀结果表明,HBx 能够通过 CREB 结合到 HBXIP 的启动子上,进而发挥激活 HBXIP 的功能. 本研究结果表明,HBx 促进肝癌细胞迁移的作用是通过 CREB 上调 HBXIP 实现的. 这一发现对进一步揭示 HBx 促进肝癌细胞迁移的分子机制具有重要意义.     

Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Interferes with Cellular DNA Repair

The hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is a broadly acting transactivator implicated in the development of liver cancer. Recently, HBx has been reported to interact with several different cellular proteins, including our report of its binding to XAP-1, the human homolog of the simian repair protein UVDDB. In the present study, several HBx mutants were used to localize the minimal domain of HBx required for binding to XAP-1/UVDDB to amino acids 55 to 101. The normal function of XAP-1/UVDDB is thought to involve binding to damaged DNA, the first step in nucleotide excision repair (NER); therefore, we hypothesized that this interaction may affect the cell’s capacity to correct lesions in the genome. When tested in two independent assays that measure NER (unscheduled DNA synthesis and host cell reactivation), the expression of HBx significantly inhibited the ability of cells to repair damaged DNA. Under the assay conditions, HBx was expressed at a level similar to that previously observed during natural viral infection and was able to transactivate several target reporter genes. These results are consistent with a model in which HBx acts as a cofactor in hepatocarcinogenesis by preventing the cell from efficiently repairing damaged DNA, thus leading to an accumulation of DNA mutations and, eventually, cancer. An adverse effect on cellular DNA repair processes suggests a new mechanism by which a tumor-associated virus might contribute to carcinogenesis.     

乙型肝炎病毒X基因及HBx蛋白的研究进展

我国是乙型肝炎高发区,乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)X基因及其编码的多功能蛋白HBx是乙型肝炎病毒基因转录所必需的作用因子,在乙肝的致病过程中起到重要作用。HBx可直接或间接改变肝脏结构细胞的结构和功能,引发肝脏细胞的凋亡;具有广泛的非特异性反式激活作用,反式激活细胞内的某些癌基因或病毒基因,与乙型肝炎和肝细胞癌的发生关系十分密切。本文从多方面综述了X基因及HBx蛋白目前的研究进展,展现了X基因功能的多样性。     

Glucose-regulated Protein 78 Is an Intracellular Antiviral Factor against Hepatitis B Virus

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health problem that plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the pathogenesis of HBV infection and the mechanisms of host-virus interactions are still elusive. In this study, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry-based comparative proteomics were applied to analyze the host response to HBV using an inducible HBV-producing cell line, HepAD38. Twenty-three proteins were identified as differentially expressed with glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) as one of the most significantly up-regulated proteins induced by HBV replication. This induction was further confirmed in both HepAD38 and HepG2 cells transfected with HBV-producing plasmids by real time RT-PCR and Western blotting as well as in HBV-infected human liver biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Knockdown of GRP78 expression by RNA interference resulted in a significant increase of both intracellular and extracellular HBV virions in the transient HBV-producing HepG2 cells concomitant with enhanced levels of hepatitis B surface antigen and e antigen in the culture medium. Conversely overexpression of GRP78 in HepG2 cells led to HBV suppression concomitant with induction of the positive regulatory circuit of GRP78 and interferon-β1 (IFN-β1). In this connection, the IFN-β1-mediated 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase and RNase L signaling pathway was noted to be activated in GRP78-overexpressing HepG2 cells. Moreover GRP78 was significantly down-regulated in the livers of chronic hepatitis B patients after effective anti-HBV treatment (p = 0.019) as compared with their counterpart pretreatment liver biopsies. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates for the first time that GRP78 functions as an endogenous anti-HBV factor via the IFN-β1-2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase-RNase L pathway in hepatocytes. Induction of hepatic GRP78 may provide a novel therapeutic approach in treating HBV infection.Hepatitis B virus infection is a global public health problem. An estimated 2 billion (one-third of the world''s population) people are infected with HBV¹ worldwide, and more than 400 million are chronic hepatitis B (CHB) carriers (1). Epidemiological studies have shown that HBV infection is one of the major risk factors for chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Every year, over 1 million people die of HBV-related liver diseases, 30–50% of which are attributed to HCC (2). In China, more than 130 million (10% of the national population) people are suffering from CHB (3), and HCC has been ranked as the second major cause of cancer-related death since 1990 (4). However, the limited efficacy of antiviral therapies, high rates of post-treatment HBV relapse, and the emergence of drug-resistant viral mutants have greatly hindered the effective management of CHB infection. Therefore, it is of prime importance to understand the mechanisms of HBV-host interactions during malignant transformation in CHB infection to identify novel therapeutic anti-HBV targets.Because human HBV is incapable of infecting hepatocytes in vitro efficiently and the availability of reliable in vitro culture systems that favor HBV replication is limited, the pathogenetic studies of HBV and the development of anti-HBV drugs have long been hampered. HepAD38 and HepG2.2.15, both of which are derived from HepG2 cells and integrated with a greater than 1-unit-length HBV genome, have been widely accepted and are well established cell lines for the study of the HBV life cycle and screening potential HBV inhibitors since the late 1990s (5, 6). Recently comparative proteomics analysis of the HBV-expressing HepG2.2.15 cells and the parental HepG2 cells has been performed in two independent laboratories to characterize the altered proteome profile induced by HBV (7, 8). However, the different genetic backgrounds of HepG2.2.15 and HepG2 may lead to an inaccurate evaluation of the impact of HBV replication on host genes. When compared with HepG2.2.15 cells, which produce HBV particles in a continuous manner, HepAD38 cells produce higher levels of HBV DNA in a controllable and inducible way (5). HBV production in HepAD38 is under the strict control of a tetracycline-responsive promoter; therefore, a direct comparison of cellular characteristics with or without HBV replication in HepAD38 is easily achieved. To date, changes in the proteome profile of HepAD38 induced by HBV replication have not been reported. In this study, we performed comparative proteomics to globally analyze the host response to HBV by using an inducible HBV-producing cell line, HepAD38. The combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF MS revealed that 23 cellular proteins were differentially expressed when HBV replicated. Among them, GRP78, which was one of the most highly up-regulated proteins, was further selected for functional assessment.     

HBx与肝细胞脂肪变性关系及可能机制的细胞学研究

从细胞水平探讨乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白(hepatitis B virus X protein,HBx)与肝细胞脂肪变性的关系,并探讨其可能分子机制。油红O染色及细胞内甘油三酯含量测定鉴定HepG2.2.15细胞和HepG2细胞的脂变程度;Western blotting检测HBx,肝X受体(liver X receptor alpha,LXRα)及脂肪酸合成酶(fatty acid synthase,FAS)蛋白的表达。结果显示,C2.2.15组细胞脂变程度较CG2组细胞重。O2.2.15组细胞在24,48及72h的脂变程度及TG含量均较同一时间段的OG2组增加;Western blotting结果显示,HepG2.2.15细胞内有HBx蛋白表达,而HepG2细胞则无此蛋白表达;C2.2.15组细胞LXRα及FAS蛋白表达强度较CG2组细胞高。HBx蛋白与肝细胞脂肪变性存在密切的关系,其机制可能与HBx/LXRα/FAS信号通路有关。     

Vaccinia Virus Protein F1L Is a Caspase-9 Inhibitor

Apoptosis plays important roles in host defense, including the elimination of virus-infected cells. The executioners of apoptosis are caspase family proteases. We report that vaccinia virus-encoded F1L protein, previously recognized as anti-apoptotic viral Bcl-2 family protein, is a caspase-9 inhibitor. F1L binds to and specifically inhibits caspase-9, the apical protease in the mitochondrial cell death pathway while failing to inhibit other caspases. In cells, F1L inhibits apoptosis and proteolytic processing of caspases induced by overexpression of caspase-9 but not caspase-8. An N-terminal region of F1L preceding the Bcl-2-like fold accounts for caspase-9 inhibition and significantly contributes to the anti-apoptotic activity of F1L. Viral F1L thus provides the first example of caspase inhibition by a Bcl-2 family member; it functions both as a suppressor of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins and as an inhibitor of caspase-9, thereby neutralizing two sequential steps in the mitochondrial cell death pathway.     

乙型肝炎病毒adr亚型X蛋白在大肠杆菌中的高效表达

将ａｄｒ亚型ＨＢＶ的完整Ｘ基因克隆到表达质粒ｐＰｒｏＥＸＨＴｂ中,实现了Ｘ蛋白在大肠杆菌中的高效融合表达。表达产物全长１７９个氨基酸残基（其中Ｘ蛋白部分１５４个氨基酸残基）,分子量约１９．７ｋＤ,约占细菌总蛋白的３４％。其氨基端融合部分含有６组氨酸肽段,经ＨｉｓＴｒａｐＴＭ亲和层析纯化,一步可达纯度９３％。Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹分析表明,该表达产物可与ＨＢＶ感染患者体内的抗Ｘ抗体特异性结合。     

Reconstructing the Complex Evolutionary History of Hepatitis B Virus

A detailed analysis of the evolutionary history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was undertaken using 39 mammalian hepadnaviruses for which complete genome sequences were available, including representatives of all six human genotypes, as well as a large sample of small S gene sequences. Phylogenetic trees of these data were ambiguous, supporting no single place of origin for HBV, and depended heavily on the underlying model of DNA substitution. In some instances genotype F, predominant in the Americas, was the first to diverge, suggesting that the virus arose in the New World. In other trees, however, sequences from genotype B, prevalent in East Asia, were the most divergent. An attempt was also made to determine the rate of nucleotide substitution in the C open reading frame and then to date the origin of HBV. However, no relationship between time and number of substitutions was found in two independent data sets, indicating that a reliable molecular clock does not exist for these data. Both the pattern and the rate of nucleotide substitution are therefore complex phenomena in HBV and hinder any attempt to reconstruct the past spread of this virus. Received: 5 December 1998 / Accepted: 23 February 1999     

HBx Protein Potentiates Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation

Molecular Biology - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause chronic hepatitis B, one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. Global estimates suggest that over 2 billion people are...     

Protein Kinase Activity in Hepatitis B Virus

Protein kinase activity was found in hepatitis B virions (Dane particles) purified from the plasma of hepatitis B virus-infected patients, in virion cores, and in hepatitis B core antigen particles purified from hepatitis B virus-infected hepatic tissue and was not found in purified hepatitis B surface antigen particle preparations free of Dane particles. Only a fraction of the major polypeptide (apparent size, 19,700 daltons) in Dane particle cores and hepatitis B core antigen particles from infected liver appeared to be phosphorylated, and phosphorylation changed the electrophoretic mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels to that expected for a polypeptide of 20,600 daltons. Five minor polypeptides with apparent sizes between 38,000 and 63,000 daltons were phosphorylated in Dane particles and Dane particle core preparations but were not detected in hepatitis B core antigen particles from infected liver. None of these had electrophoretic mobilities corresponding to those of known hepatitis B surface antigen polypeptides. Prolonged storage of purified hepatitis B core antigen particles or incubation with human immunoglobulin G preparations containing antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen with or without antibody to the hepatitis B e antigen resulted in the conversion of the polypeptide with an apparent size of 20,600 daltons to ones with apparent sizes of 14,700 and approximately 6,000 daltons, suggesting proteolytic cleavage of the 20,600-dalton polypeptide under these conditions.     

The Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Inhibits Thymine DNA Glycosylase Initiated Base Excision Repair

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome encodes the X protein (HBx), a ubiquitous transactivator that is required for HBV replication. Expression of the HBx protein has been associated with the development of HBV infection-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previously, we generated a 3D structure of HBx by combined homology and ab initio in silico modelling. This structure showed a striking similarity to the human thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), a key enzyme in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. To further explore this finding, we investigated whether both proteins interfere with or complement each other’s functions. Here we show that TDG does not affect HBV replication, but that HBx strongly inhibits TDG-initiated base excision repair (BER), a major DNA repair pathway. Inhibition of the BER pathway may contribute substantially to the oncogenic effect of HBV infection.