• LIVER CANCER • Apoptosis and its pathway in X gene-transfected HepG2 cells

AIM: To investigate the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) X gene on apoptosis and expressions of apoptosis factors in X gene-transfected HepG2 cells. METHODS: The HBV X gene eukaryon expression vector pcDNA3-X was transiently transfected into HepG2 cells by lipid-media transfection. Untransfected HepG2 and HepG2 transfected with pcDNA3 were used as controls. Expression of HBx in HepG2 was identified by RT-PCR. MTT and TUNEL were employed to measure proliferation and apoptosis of cells in three groups. Semi-quantified RT-PCR was used to evaluate the expression levels of Fas/FasL, Bax/Bcl-xL, and c-myc in each group. RESULTS: HBV X gene was transfected into HepG2 cells successfully. RT-PCR showed that HBx was only expresse