Paracrine in vivo inhibitory effects of hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) on liver cell proliferation: An alternative mechanism of HBx-related pathogenesis

摘要

The role of the hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unclear. HBx exhibits pleiotropic biological effects, whose in vivo relevance is a matter for debate. In the present report, we have used a combination of HBx-expressing transgenic mice and liver cell transplantation to investigate the in vivo impact of HBx expression on liver cell proliferation and viability in a regenerative context. We show that moderate HBx expression inhibits liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in HBx-expressing transgenic mice. We also demon- strate that the transplantation of HBx-expressing liver cells, iso- lated from HBx transgenic mice, is sufficient to inhibit overall recipient liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.