Abstract
Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBX) has been implicated in the transactivation of diverse cellular genes and possibly also the pathogenesis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We report the characterization of HBX variants from HBV-related human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These HBX variants were integrated into the host chromosomes and also expressed in the HCC tissues. In addition, we report a novel in vitro HBX activity assay based on color changes that were indicative of the β-galactosidase enzyme activity. Conducted in wheat germ lysates, the transactivating function of either wild type or mutant HBX protein was measured through their interaction with the Early Growth Response factor 1 (Egr-1) that controls the β-galactosidase gene. Further analysis of these HBX deletion mutants using this assay may shed new insights on the significance of various mutations occurring in HCC-associated HBX. (C) 2000 Academic Press.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 885-892 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
| Volume | 276 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 5 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Keywords
- Hepatitis B virus X gene
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- In vitro activity assay
- In vivo expression
- Integration
- Mutant
