Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells
Published on: October 28, 2019
[Effect of autophagy on expression of interferon in hepatitis B virus-infected hepatocytes]
Yangxiao Ni1, Yingdi Shi, Yingqiu Zhang
1Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. niyangxiao_1986@yahoo.com.cn
Object:
Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway in which eukaryotic cells dispose intracellular aggregates or defective organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. Autophagy not only plays a key role in the growth, development, mature and differentiation of cells, but also is associated with pathogenesis, virus infection and immunity. To clarify the mechanism of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and cell immune response, we investigated the relationship between autophagy and IFN factors in the HBV infected cells.
Methods:
We inhibited the autophagy by the RNA interference knockdown of Beclin1 and Atg7, the essential autophagic genes, examined the number of autophagosomes by fluorescence microscopy and examined the expression of interferon factors by Real-Time PCR.
Results:
Autophagy was inhibited after transfected siBeclin1 or siAtg7. After inhibiting the autophagy, the expression of interferon factors were decreased, but cell apoptosis was not induced.
Conclusion:
When the autophagy was inhibited, interferon signaling pathways were impaired in the HBV infected cells. The finding indicated that HBV induced-autophagy enhanced the interferon signaling pathways, and then increased the native immune response.
Related Concept Videos
Hepatitis
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction
Autophagy
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test

