Figure 3
BST-2 restricts HBV less efficiently in hepatocytes.
(a) 293T and Huh-7 cells were transfected with 0, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 ng of BST-2 IHA and 1 μg of HBV proviral construct. BST-2 IHA and tubulin were detected by Western blotting. (b) HBV antigens expression and release in a) were examined with ELISA and HBsAg release percentages are shown. (c) Endogenous BST-2 profiles in hepatic L02 cells were examined by RT-PCR of BST-2 mRNA and compared to 293T and HepG2 cells. GAPDH was set as a control. (d) The BST-2 mRNA level of c) was quantified and normalized by the GAPDH level. The bands of the agarose gel were quantified using Bandscan software. (e) L02 cells were pre-treated or post-treated with 1000 U/ml IFN-α or 1000 ng/ml LPS or left untreated as indicated, with 1 μg of empty vector or HBV proviral construct transfection. BST-2 and tubulin were detected by Western blotting. HBV antigen expression and release were examined by ELISA. (f) HBsAg release percentages of e) are shown. (g) The induction (-fold) of BST-2 by the pre-treated drugs was quantified by scanning the BST-2 blots and is shown. **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05. These experiments were performed no less than three times, with similar results.
