Interferon alpha inhibits the nuclear factor kappa B activation triggered by X gene product of hepatitis B virus in human hepatoma cells

AbstractX gene product of hepatitis B virus (HBV) (HBx) regulates many transcription factors including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and plays a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of full HBV genome and HBx gene similarly stimulated the transcriptional activity of NF-κB in HuH-7 human hepatoma cells, and that interferon (IFN)-α as well as dominant negative mutant of IκB kinase-α effectively inhibited the HBx-mediated NF-κB activation, but IFN-γ did not. These results suggest that IFN-α may have a function to block the NF-κB activating pathway triggered by HBx in HBV hepatocytes