BACKGROUND Occult infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a type of chronic HBV infection that is characterized by the absence of a detectable hepatitis B surface antigen in the blood and by very low levels of HBV DNA in the blood and liver. The mechanisms leading to occult HBV infection remain poorly understood but include possible genetic mutations and deletions. Recently, it has been shown...

To examine genetic and epigenetic alterations associated with HBV integration in hepatocarcinogenesis, we compared genomic DNA profiles of primary hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and cell lines that either contained or did not contain integrated HBV. To accomplish this, we carried out Restriction Landmark Genomic Scanning (RLGS), a two-dimensional system that displays 2000-3000 Not I landmark ...

2. The authors suggested that HBx can induce caveolin-1 gene CpG island methylation, based on their in vitro study using a SMMC-7721 cell line. They also found that 28/33 HCC samples were positive for caveoline-1 gene CpG island methylation. How about the adjacent non-tumor tissues? Since HBx may commonly expressed in the non-tumor tissue, has they seen any caveolin-1 CpG island methylation in ...

OBJECTIVE The Hepatitis B virus genome persists in the nucleus of virus infected hepatocytes where it serves as template for viral mRNA synthesis. Epigenetic modifications, including methylation of the CpG islands contribute to the regulation of viral gene expression. The present study investigates the effects of spontaneous age dependent loss of hepatitis B surface protein- (HBs) expression du...

Background: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is a nonclassical HLA class I molecule with modulatory effects on NK and T cells. Because HLA-G expression is frequently detected in different solid tumors, it may be involved in tumor immune evasion. Objective: This study was designed to elucidate the prognostic value of HLA-G in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PADC). Th...

Viral infections are able to modify the host's cellular programs, with DNA methylation being a biological intermediate in this process. The extent to which viral infections deregulate gene expression and DNA methylation is not fully understood. In the case of Hepatitis B virus (HBV), there is evidence for an interaction between viral proteins and the host DNA methylation machinery. We studied t...

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play a key role in detecting pathogens by producing large amounts of type I interferon (IFN) by sensing the presence of viral infections through the Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) pathway. TLR9 is a sensor of viral and bacterial DNA motifs and activates the IRF7 transcription factor which leads to type I IFN secretion by pDCs. However, during chronic hepatitis B vi...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the methylation status of intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and to elucidate the possible relationship between the cccDNA methylation and viral replicative activity in patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC). METHODS The methylation status of HBV cccDNA was investigated by bisulfite sequencin...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA has been shown to contain CpG islands that are methylated in human tissue, which suggests a role for methylation in regulating viral protein production. However, data are lacking about whether methylation regulates viral gene expression. METHODS To investigate the hypothesis that methylation of viral DNA regulates viral gene expression, unmethylated, par...

PURPOSE AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Glutathione S-transferases, enzymes that defend cells against damage mediated by oxidant and electrophilic carcinogens, may be critical determinants of cancer pathogenesis. In this report, we assess the role of epigenetic silencing of the GSTP1 gene, a gene encoding the pi-class glutathione S-transferase, in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated ...