title: HBx protein induces expression of MIG and increases migration of leukocytes through activation of NF-kappaB.
abstract: Elevated expression of monokine induced by the interferon-gamma (MIG) has been shown in HBV carriers, and it is involved in the infiltration of inflammatory cells and liver damage after HBV infection. However, the molecular mechanisms by which HBV-induced MIG expression have not been characterized. Our results indicated that HBx protein induced MIG expression in a dose-dependent manner. Such increase was due to the direct binding of NF-kappaB to the MIG promoter. By luciferase, chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated that the NF-kappaB binding site at positions -147 was essential for transcriptional activation of MIG promoter by HBx protein. Chemotaxis assay showed that the up-regulation of MIG protein levels enhanced the migration of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), and inhibition of NF-kappaB significantly decreased the chemotaxis activity. Our findings provide a new insight into how leukocytes migrate to liver, and disclose a new regulatory mechanism of MIG expression after HBV infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Wen-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yong-Bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhen-Zhen
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hui-Fen
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Guan-Xin
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: De-An
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D021381:Protein Transport; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C080810:CXCL9 protein, human; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9; D016328:NF-kappa B; D015534:Trans-Activators; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C057628:hepatitis B virus X protein