Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Modeling Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Non-Hepatic 293T-NE-3NRs Cells
Published on: June 5, 2020
Effects of cell cycle on telomerase activity and on hepatitis B virus replication in HepG2 2.2.15 cells
Yan-Qing Huang1, Lu-Wen Wang, Shao-Nan Yan
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
Background:
It has been shown that telomerase activity and hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication are closely associated with cell cycle. This study aimed to further investigate the effects of cell cycle on telomerase activity and on HBV replication.
Methods:
Human hepatoma cells transfected with HBV DNA (HepG2 2.2.15 cell line) were treated respectively with serum deprivation, all-trans retinoic acid (RA), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), or sodium butyrate. The cell cycle of HepG2 2.2.15 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. The telomerase activities of the cells were detected by TRAP-PCR-ELISA. HBV DNA in culture medium was assayed by a fluorescent quantitative PCR assay and a semiquantitative dot blot hybridization technique. HBsAg and HBeAg in culture media were quantitatively examined by an ELISA assay.
Results:
Treatments with serum deprivation, RA, DMSO, or sodium butyrate inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 2.2.15 cells and led to cell arrest in the G0/G1 phase of cell cycle. The percentage of the G0/G1 phase in the groups of sodium butyrate, DMSO, RA and serum-free was 85.2%, 71.9%, 68.3% and 65.2%, respectively, but in the control group, 43.1% (P<0.01). The activities of telomerase of the cells were also significantly inhibited by 82.8%, 74.6%, 76.1% and 69.4% respectively. In addition, HBV replication of the HepG2 2.2.15 cells remarkably increased as shown by the contents of HBV DNA, HBsAg and HBeAg in the culture media of the cells treated with sodium butyrate, DMSO, RA or serum deprivation (P<0.01). The amounts of HBV DNA in the groups of sodium butyrate, DMSO, RA, serum deprivation and control were 6.7X10(6), 4.8X10(6), 4.4X10(6), 5.1X10(6) and 1.2X10(6) copies/ml, respectively (P<0.01). Telomerase was expressed mainly in the cells in S phase. HBV replication increased in quiescent cells (G0/G1 phase), and decreased in proliferating phase (S phase).
Conclusion:
The current data approve that HBV replication is associated with the cellular proliferative activity.
More Related Videos
09:35Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
Published on: February 1, 2017
11:34A Competent Hepatocyte Model Examining Hepatitis B Virus Entry through Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide as a Therapeutic Target
Published on: May 10, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Hepatitis
Telomeres and Telomerase
Replicative Cell Senescence
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers