Mutational analysis of hepatitis B virus enhancer 2.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans. HBV infection is primarily restricted to hepatocytes, and replication and gene expression of HBV require liver-specific transcription factors. Regulation of HBV gene expression has been shown to be controlled by two enhancers, and liver-specific gene expression of HBV can be attributed largely to the activity of enhancer 2. In this study, we have used mutational analysis to identify a 20-base-pair sequence motif essential for the liver-specific enhancer 2 activity. Analysis of the sequence reveals that this motif is similar to the regulatory region of several other liver-specific cellular genes, suggesting that common transcription factors may be involved in the activation of cellular as well as HBV gene expression in hepatocytes.
Chen
S T
ST
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
La Porte
P
P
Yee
J K
JK
D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship