HBx gene facilitates the proliferation activity of hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

To investigate the effects of HBx gene on proliferation activity of hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo. The plasmid pHA-HBx carrying HBx gene was transfected into HepG(2) cells, and the positive clones were screened and identified with G418 and RT-PCR, respectively. The growth curve and population doubling time were calculated, and the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). The proliferation activity of transformed cells was measured with (3)H-TdR incorporation rate and nude mice model in vitro and in vivo. The result of RT-PCR indicated that HBx gene was integrated into the genome DNA of HepG(2) cells and transcripted. The growth curve and population doubling time showed a high proliferation activity of transformed cells. The amount of cells at stage S and G(2)/M were significantly higher, and cells at stage G(0)/G(1) were lower than those in control group. The tumors developed from transfected cells grew much quicker than those developed from HepG(2) cells in nude mice model. HBx gene can facilitate the proliferation of hepatoma cells both in vitro and in vivo.