Hepatitis B virus X protein mutant upregulates CENP-A expression in hepatoma cells

The carcinogenic role of hepatitis B virus x protein (HBx) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Centromere protein A (CENP-A) has been found to be frequently overexpressed in HCC. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of HBx in regulating CENP-A activity in HCC carcinogenesis. CENP-A expression was examined and the HBx gene was sequenced in 20 HBsAg-positive HCC patients and corresponding non-cancerous liver tissues. The influence of HBx mutants on CENP-A expression in HepG2 cells was analyzed by a series of assays. We found that CENP-A expression was significantly elevated in HCC tissues. HBx deletion, especially the COOH-terminal deletion of HBx is a frequent event in HBV-associated HCC tissues. A positive correlation was found between CENP-A expression and HBx COOH mutation in HCC tissues. HBx mutant increased the expression of the CENP-A mRNA and protein compared with full-length HBx. However, HBx did not directly interact with CENP-A. It is concluded that overexpression of CENP-A is closely associated with HBx COOH mutation in HCC. HBx mutant can increase CENP-A expression, probably through a mechanism independent of their physical combination, and thereby it may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC.