The X protein of hepatitis B virus inhibits apoptosis in hepatoma cells through enhancing the methionine adenosyltransferase 2A gene expression and reducing S-adenosylmethionine production

The X protein (HBx) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) promotes the growth of liver cancer cells through altering S-adenosylmethionine homeostasis. Thus, we speculated that a link between HBx and MAT2A may contribute to HCC development. In this study, the effects of HBx on MAT2A expression and cell apoptosis were investigated, and the molecular mechanism by which HBx and MAT2A regulate tumorigenesis was evaluated. Results from immunohistochemistry analyses of 37 pairs of HBV-associated liver cancer tissues/corresponding peritumor tissues showed that HBx and MAT2A are highly expressed in most liver tumor tissues. Our in vitro results revealed that HBx activates MAT2A expression in a dose-dependent manner in hepatoma cells, and such regulation requires the cis-regulatory elements NF-κB and CREB on the MAT2A gene promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) further demonstrated that HBx facilitates the binding of NF-κB and CREB to MAT2A gene promoter. In addition, overexpression of HBx or MAT2A inhibits cell apoptosis, whereas knockdown of MAT2A expression stimulates apoptosis in hepatoma cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that HBx reduces MAT1A expression and AdoMet production but enhances MAT2β expression. Thus, we proposed that HBx activates MAT2A expression through NF-κB and CREB signaling pathways to reduce AdoMet production, inhibit hepatoma cell apoptosis, and perhaps enhance HCC development. These findings should provide new insights into our understanding how the molecular mechanisms underline the effects of HBV infection on the production of MAT2A and the development of HCC.     

Epigenetic repression of miR-132 expression by the hepatitis B virus x protein in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus x (HBx) protein is involved in the initiation and progression of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by regulating host protein-coding genes. However, the role of HBx in the epigenetic repression of miRNAs, which play important roles in gene regulation during hepatocarcinogenesis, remains largely unknown. In this study, the expression of miR-132 in HCC cells, HBV-related HCC tissues, and serum were determined using real-time PCR. The level of DNA methylation on the promoter of miR-132 was examined using methylation-specific PCR (MSP). MiR-132 was functionally characterized in HCC cells with transiently altered miR-132 expression. HBx-induced DNA hypermethylation of the promoter of miR-132 was found to be more prevalent in HBx-expressing HepG2 cells than in control cells. Consistently, MiR-132 expression was also more frequently down-regulated in HBV-related HCC tissues than in adjacent noncancerous hepatic tissues and had a significant inverse correlation with HBx expression in HBV-related HCCs. Serum miR-132 levels were found to be significantly correlated with levels in tumor tissue. Finally, proliferation and colony formation of HCC cells were found to be suppressed by miR-132-mediated inhibition of the Akt-signaling pathway in miR132 transfected cells. Our study has demonstrated the epigenetic repression of miR-132 expression through DNA methylation induced by HBx. This work provides novel mechanistic insights into HBV-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis and suggests that miR-132 may be a promising biochemical marker and may have therapeutic applications in HBV-related HCC.     

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 gene-downregulated growth-arrest specific 5 inhibits the cell viability and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines by activating Y-box-binding protein 1/p21 signaling

The long noncoding RNA growth-arrest specific 5 (GAS5) is a suppressor of many cancers. However, the role and mechanism of action of GAS5 in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Here, the expression of hepatitis B virus x gene (HBx) mRNA and GAS5 was assessed by qRT–PCR, and western blot analysis was performed to determine the protein expression levels. In addition, the cell viability and invasion of cells were confirmed using  MTT assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The DNA methylation level of GAS5 was measured by methylation-specific PCR. Moreover, RIP assay and RNA pull down assay were carried out to examine the combination of Y-box-binding protein 1 (YBX1) and GAS5. First, our data proved that HBx is increased, while GAS5 is decreased in HCC cell lines. Subsequently, we found that HBx facilitates HCC cell viability and invasion by inhibiting GAS5 expression. Then, we further clarified that HBx induces the DNA methylation of GAS5 by promoting methyltransferase expression, thereby suppressing GAS5 expression. Furthermore, GAS5 binds YBX1 and promotes YBX1 and p21 expression. Finally, the functional analysis revealed that the upregulation of GAS5 could attenuate cell viability and invasion by boosting p21 expression via binding YBX1. Overall, our results demonstrated that HBx promotes HCC progression by inducing GAS5 methylation to reduce its expression. The upregulation of GAS5 suppressed HBV-related HCC by activating YBX1/p21 signaling. Our data provide novel evidence supporting the potential of GAS5 as a treatment target in HBV-related HCC.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12079-021-00645-z.     

miR-101 is down-regulated by the hepatitis B virus x protein and induces aberrant DNA methylation by targeting DNA methyltransferase 3A

The hepatitis B virus x (HBx) protein has been implicated in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis. However, whether HBx regulates miRNA expression that plays important roles in gene regulation during hepatocarcinogenesis remains unknown. The expression of microRNA-101 (miR-101) in HBV-related HCC tissues and HCC cells was evaluated by real-time PCR. The direct target of miR-101, DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A), was identified in silico and validated using a 3′-UTR reporter assay. miR-101 was functionally characterized in cells with transiently altered miR-101 expression. HBx expression was found to have a significant inverse correlation with miR-101 expression in HBx-expressing HepG2 compared to control HepG2 cells. miR-101 expression was frequently down-regulated in HBV-related HCC tissues compared to adjacent noncancerous hepatic tissues and had a significant inverse correlation with DNMT3A expression in HBV-related HCCs. Further characterization of miR-101 revealed that it negatively regulated DNA methylation partly through targeting DNMT3A. HBx-mediated miR-101 down-regulation and DNMT3A up-regulation supported the enhanced DNA methylation of several tumor-suppressor genes in HBx-expressing cells. Our studies demonstrating the deregulation of miR-101 expression by HBx may provide novel mechanistic insights into HBV-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis and identify a potential miRNA-based targeted approach for treating HBV-related HCC.     

Characterization of bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) as a potential tumor suppressor and prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma

It has been shown that bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) can interact with c-myelocytomatosis (c-Myc) oncoprotein in cancer. However, the role of BIN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not clear. In the present study, we investigated the expression and prognostic role of BIN1 in primary HCC and evaluated the function of BIN1 in hepatocarcinogenesis. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, we found significantly decreased expression of BIN1 in primary HCC tumor tissues (n = 42) compared with adjacent normal tissues and in HCC cell lines. Immunohistochemistry analysis also found decreased BIN1 expression in HCC tumor tissues (n = 117). In clinicopathological analysis, loss of BIN1 expression correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with differentiation scores and tumor size. Importantly, decreased expression of BIN1 in tumors was found to be closely associated with a poor prognosis, and we conclude that BIN1 was an independent prognostic factor in a multivariate analysis. In mechanistic studies, restoring BIN1 expression in BIN1-null HCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation and induced apoptosis of HCC cells. Furthermore, we found that BIN1 overexpression could significantly suppress the motility and invasion of HCC cells in vitro. Our results indicate that BIN1 may function as a potential tumor suppressor and serve as a novel prognostic marker in HCC patients. The BIN1 molecule might play an important role in tumor growth, cell motility and invasion. Modulation of BIN1 expression may lead to clinical applications of this critical molecule in the control of hepatocellular carcinoma as well as in early and effective diagnosis of this aggressive tumor.     

Role of Pin1 in UVA-induced cell proliferation and malignant transformation in epidermal cells

The hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) has been implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with chronic infection. As a multifunctional protein, HBx regulates numerous cellular pathways, including autophagy. Although autophagy has been shown to participate in viral DNA replication and envelopment, it remains unclear whether HBx-activated autophagy affects host cell death, which is relevant to both viral pathogenicity and the development of HCC. Here, we showed that enforced expression of HBx can inhibit starvation-induced cell death in hepatic (L02 and Chang) or hepatoma (HepG2 and BEL-7404) cell lines. Starvation-induced cell death was greatly increased in HBX-expressing cell lines treated either with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or with an siRNA directed against an autophagy gene, beclin 1. In contrast, treatment of cells with the apoptosis inhibitor Z-Vad-fmk significantly reduced cell death. Our results demonstrate that HBx-mediated cell survival during starvation is dependent on autophagy. We then further investigated the mechanisms of cell death inhibition by HBx. We found that HBx inhibited the activation of caspase-3, an execution caspase, blocked the release of mitochondrial apoptogenic factors, such as cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), and inhibited the activation of caspase-9 during starvation. These results demonstrate that HBx reduces cell death through inhibition of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. Moreover, increased cell viability was also observed in HepG2.2.15 cells that replicate HBV and in cells transfected with HBV genomic DNA. Our findings demonstrate that HBx promotes cell survival during nutrient deprivation through inhibition of apoptosis and activation of autophagy. This highlights an important potential role of autophagy in HBV-infected hepatocytes growing under nutrient-deficient conditions.     

Hepatitis B virus x protein induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating long non-coding RNA

Background

It has been widely accepted that hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to explore the function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by HBx.

Methods

The association between HBx and EMT markers was detected using immunohistochemistry in HCC tissues. The effect of HBx on HCC EMT was assessed through morphological analysis, transwell assay, metastatic in vivo study and detection of EMT markers. LncRNA microarray was used to screen the differently expressed lncRNAs. Small interfering RNA and Western blot were used to analyse the function and mechanism of the locked lncRNA.

Results

HBx was negatively correlated with the epithelial marker E-cadherin but positively correlated with the mesenchymal marker vimentin in HCC tissues. HBx induced the mesenchymal phenotype and improved the metastatic ability of HCC cells. Meanwhile, HBx down-regulated E-cadherin, whereas it up-regulated vimentin. In HCC cells, HBx altered the expression of 2002 lncRNAs by more than 2-fold. One of them was ZEB2-AS1. Inhibition of ZEB2-AS1 can compensate for the EMT phenotype and reverse the expression of EMT markers regulated by HBx. Additionally, HBx affected the Wnt signalling pathway.

Conclusions

HBx promotes HCC cell metastasis by inducing EMT, which is at least partly mediated by lncRNAs.

     

Protein profile in HBx transfected cells: A comparative iTRAQ-coupled 2D LC-MS/MS analysis

The x protein of HBV (HBx) has been involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a possible link to individual genotypes. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism remains obscure. In this study, we aim to identify the HBx-induced protein profile in HepG2 cells by LC-MS/MS proteomics analysis. Our results indicated that proteins were differentially expressed in HepG2 cells transfected by HBx of various genotypes. Proteins associated with cytoskeleton were found to be either up-regulated (MACF1, HMGB1, Annexin A2) or down-regulated (Lamin A/C). These may in turn result in the decrease of focal adhesion and increase of cell migration in response to HBx. Levels of other cellular proteins with reported impact on the function of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and cell migration, including Ca²⁺-binding proteins (S100A11, S100A6, and S100A4) and proteasome protein (PSMA3), were affected by HBx. The differential protein profile identified in this study was also supported by our functional assay which indicated that cell migration was enhanced by HBx. Our preliminary study provided a new platform to establish a comprehensive cellular protein profile by LC-MS/MS proteomics analysis. Further downstream functional assays, including our reported cell migration assay, should provide new insights in the association between HCC and HBx.     

High-level expression of Notch1 increased the risk of metastasis in T1 stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Although metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is basically observed in late stage tumors, T1 stage metastasis of ccRCC can also be found with no definite molecular cause resulting inappropriate selection of surgery method and poor prognosis. Notch signaling is a conserved, widely expressed signal pathway that mediates various cellular processes in normal development and tumorigenesis. This study aims to explore the potential role and mechanism of Notch signaling in the metastasis of T1 stage ccRCC.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 were analyzed in tumor tissues and matched normal adjacent tissues obtained from 51 ccRCC patients. Compared to non-tumor tissues, Notch1 and Jagged1 expression was significantly elevated both in mRNA and protein levels in tumors. Tissue samples of localized and metastatic tumors were divided into three groups based on their tumor stages and the relative mRNA expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 were analyzed. Compared to localized tumors, Notch1 expression was significantly elevated in metastatic tumors in T1 stage while Jagged1 expression was not statistically different between localized and metastatic tumors of all stages. The average size of metastatic tumors was significantly larger than localized tumors in T1 stage ccRCC and the elevated expression of Notch1 was significantly positive correlated with the tumor diameter. The functional significance of Notch signaling was studied by transfection of 786-O, Caki-1 and HKC cell lines with full-length expression plasmids of Notch1 and Jagged1. Compared to the corresponding controls, all cell lines demonstrated significant promotion in cell proliferation and migration while cell cycle remained unaffected.

Conclusions/Significance

High-level expression of Notch signaling increased the risk of metastasis in T1 stage ccRCC by stimulating the proliferation and migration of tumor cells, which may be helpful for the selection of suitable operation method and prognosis of ccRCC.     

Analysis of hepatitis B virus X gene (HBx) mutants in tissues of patients suffered from hepatocellular carcinoma in China

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X (HBx) gene multi-site mutations are a frequent event in the clinical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. It has been reported that the mutation of the HBx plays a crucial role in the development of HBV-related HCC. To identify the novel mutations of HBx in the HCC tissues, we examined and analyzed the sequences of HBx gene in 60 cases of HCC tumor tissues and paratumor tissues from China by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mutation patterns of HBx were analyzed by comparing the tumor tissues with non-tumor tissues. The data showed that 44 cases of tissues out of 60 patients were HBV-positive. Our results showed that the mutations at amino acid 30, 88, 144 from tumor samples and at amino acid 31, 43, 87, 94 from non-tumor samples were highly frequent events. Interestingly, we found that a novel type of HBx linked-mutations, such as at aa L30F/S144A, was 29.5% (13/44) positive in the tumor tissues. However, the role of HBx gene mutations at aa L30F/S144A relative to wild type HBx gene is unclear in hepatocarcinogenesis. The novel HBx linked-mutations may be significant in the development of HCC.     

Large scale identification of human hepatocellular carcinoma-associated antigens by autoantibodies

Autoantibodies are often detected in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and these responses may represent recognition of tumor Ags that are associated with transformation events. The identities of these Ags, however, are less well known. Using serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) from four HCC patients, we identified 55 independent cDNA sequences potentially encoding HCC tumor Ags. Of these genes, 15 are novel. Two such proteins, HCA587 and HCA661, were predominantly detected in testis, but not in other normal tissues, except for a weak expression in normal pancreas. In addition to HCC, these two Ags can be found in cancers of other histological types. Therefore, they can be categorized as cancer-testis (CT) Ags. Two other Ags (HCA519 and HCA90) were highly overexpressed in HCC and also expressed in cancer cell lines of lung, prostate, and pancreas, but not in the respective normal tissues. Four other Ags were identified to be expressed in particular types of cancer cell lines (HCA520 in an ovarian cancer cell line, HCA59 and HCA67 in a colon cancer cell line, HCA58 in colon and ovarian cancer cell lines), but not in the normal tissue counterpart(s). In addition, abundant expression of complement inactivation factors was found in HCC. These results indicate a broad range expression of autoantigens in HCC patients. Our findings open an avenue for the study of autoantigens in the transformation, metastasis, and immune evasion in HCC.     

Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Upregulates mTOR Signaling through IKKβ to Increase Cell Proliferation and VEGF Production in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major cause of cancer-related death in Southeast Asia, is frequently associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. HBV X protein (HBx), encoded by a viral non-structural gene, is a multifunctional regulator in HBV-associated tumor development. We investigated novel signaling pathways underlying HBx-induced liver tumorigenesis and found that the signaling pathway involving IκB kinase β (IKKβ), tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (TSC1), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) downstream effector S6 kinase (S6K1), was upregulated when HBx was overexpressed in hepatoma cells. HBx-induced S6K1 activation was reversed by IKKβ inhibitor Bay 11-7082 or silencing IKKβ expression using siRNA. HBx upregulated cell proliferation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production, and these HBx-upregulated phenotypes were abolished by treatment with IKKβ inhibitor Bay 11-7082 or mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. The association of HBx-modulated IKKβ/mTOR/S6K1 signaling with liver tumorigenesis was verified in a HBx transgenic mouse model in which pIKKβ, pS6K1, and VEGF expression was found to be higher in cancerous than non-cancerous liver tissues. Furthermore, we also found that pIKKβ levels were strongly correlated with pTSC1 and pS6K1 levels in HBV-associated hepatoma tissue specimens taken from 95 patients, and that higher pIKKβ, pTSC1, and pS6K1 levels were correlated with a poor prognosis in these patients. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that HBx deregulates TSC1/mTOR signaling through IKKβ, which is crucially linked to HBV-associated HCC development.     

Dermatopontin is expressed in human liver and is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma

Dermatopontin (DPT) was recently found as a downstream target of vitamin D receptor, which is a key molecule in the 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D₃ anti-hepatoma proliferation pathway. MCTx-1 from Millepora, a homolog of DPT, is identified as a cytotoxin towards leukemia cells. The aim of this study was to analyze DPT expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the analysis for DPT gene in normal tissues in order to estimate its function in the progression of HCC. DPT mRNA expression was analyzed in normal tissues and HCC cell lines by RT-PCR, and in HCC tissue by RT-PCR and real-time PCR. Its protein was examined in HCC tissues by Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. Meanwhile, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) that is closely associated with HCC and DPT was observed by immunohistochemistry in HCC tissues. The results showed that DPT mRNA was strongly expressed in human fetal and adult liver, kidney, and spleen, weakly in ovary and heart, and absent in other tissues and HCC cell lines examined. Its mRNA was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues, while its protein was weakly expressed in tumor compared with non-tumor. DPT is located mainly in the cytoplasm of several cell types in the liver; it has been identified also in the extra-cellular matrix of the skin. TGF-β1 was observed in extensive tumor tissue of HCC. This fact suggests that DPT can play various roles in different tissues and might be a molecule related to carcinogenesis and the progression of HCC via possible interaction with TGF-β1 and other potential mechanisms.