Publication Date:
1985-05-31
Description:
A recombinant human cell line constructed by transfection of epithelial cells with a plasmid containing the hepatitis B virus core gene (HBc) was used to study the regulation of HBc gene expression. Methylation of a single Hpa II site 280 base pairs upstream from the structural gene was found to regulate the expression of the core gene. Expression increased in cells treated with 5'-azacytidine as a result of cytosine demethylation at this site, and there was a fivefold increase in the number of HBc gene transcripts in total cellular messenger RNA. The varied life cycle of hepatitis B virus in disease such as viral hepatitis and liver cancer may therefore be attributable to the site-specific regulation of the gene involved in replication of the viral DNA and to the cytophathic effects elicited by this gene in human cells.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Korba, B E -- Wilson, V L -- Yoakum, G H -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1985 May 31;228(4703):1103-6.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2581318" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
5-Methylcytosine
;
Azacitidine/pharmacology
;
Cytosine/*analogs & derivatives/metabolism
;
DNA Restriction Enzymes
;
DNA, Viral/genetics
;
*Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
;
Genes, Viral
;
Hepatitis B Core Antigens/*genetics
;
Humans
;
*Methylation
;
*Promoter Regions, Genetic
;
Time Factors
;
Transcription, Genetic
;
Virus Replication
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
Permalink
