%0 Journal Article
%T Hepatitis B virus induces expression of cholesterol metabolism-related genes via TLR2 in HepG2 cells
%A Ying-Ju Li
%A Ping Zhu
%A Yu Liang
%A Wei-Guo Yin
%J World Journal of Gastroenterology
%D 2013
%I Baishideng Publishing Group Co. Limited
%R 10.3748/wjg.v19.i14.2262
%X AIM: To investigate whether hepatitis B virus (HBV) exacerbates hepatic cholesterol accumulation, and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: HepG2 cells were infected with adenovirus (Ad) containing 1.3-fold overlength HBV genome. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to measure mRNA and protein expression of target genes. Cholesterol accumulation was measured by fluorescence microscopy. Cell toxicity due to Ad-HBV treatment was determined by the mitochondrial tetrazolium assay. The protein levels of toll-like receptors (TLRs) were determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Ad-HBV increased hepatic cholesterol accumulation and enhanced the mRNA and protein levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutharyl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCoAr) mRNA and protein expression in HepG2 cells. In addition, these inductive effects were partly offset by suppressing TLR2 expression levels by small interfering RNA in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: Ad-HBV increases LDLR and HMGCoAr expression, resulting in exacerbated cholesterol accumulation in HepG2 cells, which was mediated via the TLR2 pathway.
%K Hepatitis B virus
%K Toll-like receptors
%K Low-density lipoprotein receptor
%K 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutharyl-coenzyme A reductase
%U http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v19/i14/2262.htm