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Updated: Sep 23, 2026

Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
Published on: February 1, 2017
[Synergetic transactivating effect of HCV core and HBV X proteins on SV40 early promoter/enhancer]
Yan Liu1, Jun Cheng, De-zhi Shao
1Gene Therapy Research Center, Institute of Infectious Diseases, The 302nd Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Background:
To investigate the synergetic transactivating effects of HCV core and HBV X proteins.
Methods:
HCV core and HBV X protein-expressing plasmids were constructed with the vector pcDNA3.1(-). The plasmids were transfected into HepG2 cells and cotransfected Hep2 cells with reporter plasmid Psv-lacZ by lipofectamine plus reagents. The virus proteins produced in transient expression system were detected at the transcription and translation levels. The activity of b-galactosidase was detected, which reflected the transactivating function of the proteins.
Results:
The expression of plasmids were detected in soluble protein cell extracts of transiently transfected HepG2 cells. HCV core protein activated the b-galactosidase expression at a value 4.9 times higher than the control, while HBV X protein activated at a value 3.5 times. It arrived at 9 times transfected with the plasmids simultaneously. The activating effect increased in relation to the amount of plasmids.
Conclusions:
The results suggested that the two kinds of virus proteins have transactivating effect on SV40 early promoter/enhancer, and they acted synergistically. These contribute to explain the mechanisms of liver injury or tumorigenesis induced by HCV or/and HBV infection.
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