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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
Published on: February 22, 2020
[Effect of hepatitis B virus C protein on function of natural killer cell in NK-92 cells]
Ying-Xia Liu1, Xing-Hui Wei, Bing Li
1Shenzhen Liver Disease Research Institute, the Third Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical College, Shenzhen 518020, China.
Objective:
To investigate the influence of hepatitis B virus C protein on the function of natural killer cell.
Methods:
Recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid pHBI-CMV-HBC was constructed and confirmed by double restrictive enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing analysis. Then the recombinant plasmid was transfected into NK-92 cells with lipofectamine encapsuled. The transfected NK-92 cells containing expressive HBV C protein was confirmed by Western Blot analysis. ELISA was employed to determine the IFN-gamma level secreted by NK-92 cells. And finally the cytotoxicities of NK cells were analysed by MTT colorimetry, with the hepatoblastoma cell line (HepG2) as target cell.
Results:
Western blotting confirmed the expression of HBV C protein in the NK-92 cells transfected with pHBI-CMV-HBC. NK cytotoxicities and IFN-gamma secretion level of NK-92 cells transfected with recombinant plasmid significantly increased compared to control NK-92 cells transfected with blank plasmid (P < 0.01) and untransfected NK-92 cells(P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
Transient expression of HBC can increase IFN-gamma secretion and cytotoxicities of NK-92 cells.
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