Research article
Hepatitis B virus X protein suppresses caveolin-1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating DNA methylation
- † Equal contributors
1 Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
2 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
BMC Cancer 2012, 12:353 doi:10.1186/1471-2407-12-353
Published: 15 August 2012Abstract
Background
To understand the molecular mechanisms of caveolin-1 downregulation by hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx).
Methods
The DNA methylation status of the caveolin-1 promoter was examined by nested methylation-specific PCR of 33 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples. The SMMC-7721 hepatoma cell line was transfected with a recombinant HBx adenoviral vector, and the effects of HBx protein on caveolin-1 expression and promoter methylation were examined and confirmed by sequencing. A reporter gene containing the caveolin-1 promoter region was constructed, and the effects of HBx on the transcriptional activity of the promoter were also studied.
Results
Methylation of the caveolin-1 promoter was detected in 84.8% (28/33) of HBV-infected HCC samples. Expression of caveolin-1 was significantly downregulated (P = 0.022), and multiple CpG sites in the promoter region of caveolin-1 were methylated in SMMC-7721 cells after HBx transfection. Transfected HBx significantly suppressed caveolin-1 promoter activity (P = 0.001).
Conclusions
HBx protein induces methylation of the caveolin-1 promoter region and suppresses its expression.
