Distinctive gene expression profiles associated with hepatitis B virus x protein

• Published in: Oncogene Vol. 20; no. 28; pp. 3674 - 3682
• Main Authors: WU, Chuan-Ging, SALVAY, David M, FORGUES, Marshonna, VALERIE, Kristoffer, FARNSWORTH, Julie, MARKIN, Rodney S, XIN WEI WANG
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 21.06.2001; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adenomatous polyposis coli; Adult; Apoptosis; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern - methods; c-Myb protein; c-Myc protein; Carbocyanines; Carcinogenesis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - genetics; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Chronic active hepatitis; Cloning; Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21; DNA microarrays; Fluorescent Dyes; Freezing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; HBX protein; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B, Chronic - genetics; Hepatitis B, Chronic - pathology; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatocytes; Hepatocytes - cytology; Humans; Hypotheses; Kinases; Liver; Liver - pathology; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - genetics; Molecular and cellular biology; Myc protein; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; p53 Protein; Proteins; Risk factors; Staining and Labeling - methods; Trans-Activators - biosynthesis; Trans-Activators - genetics; Transcription; Transgenic animals; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor suppressor genes; Tumors; Viral infections; X gene; United States > US; Virginia; Human; Orthohepadnavirus; V-Onc gene; Hepatic disease; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Malignant tumor; Gene expression; Carcinogenesis; Virus; Cell line; Gene; Hepatocyte; Hepadnaviridae; Hepatitis B virus
• ISSN: 0950-9232; 1476-5594
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1204481

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV encodes the potentially oncogenic HBx protein, which mainly functions as a transcriptional co-activator involving in multiple gene deregulations. However, mechanisms underlying HBx-mediated oncogenicity remain unclear. To determine the role(s) of HBx in the early genesis of HCC, we utilized the NCI Oncochip microarray that contains 2208 human cDNA clones to examine the gene expression profiles in either freshly isolated normal primary adult human hepatocytes (Hhep) or an HCC cell line (SK-Hep-1) ecotopically expressing HBx via an adenoviral system. The gene expression profiles also were determined in liver samples from HBV-infected chronic active hepatitis patients when compared with normal liver samples. The microarray results were validated through Northern blot analysis of the expression of selected genes. Using reciprocally labeling hybridizations, scatterplot analysis of gene expression ratios in human primary hepatocytes expressing HBx demonstrates that microarrays are highly reproducible. The comparison of gene expression profiles between HBx-expressing primary hepatocytes and HBV-infected liver samples shows a consistent alteration of many cellular genes including a subset of oncogenes (such as c-myc and c-myb) and tumor suppressor genes (such as APC, p53, WAF1 and WT1). Furthermore, clustering algorithm analysis showed distinctive gene expression profiles in Hhep and SK-Hep-1 cells. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the deregulation of cellular genes by oncogenic HBx may be an early event that favors hepatocyte proliferation during liver carcinogenesis.