[Antiviral effects of IL-27 on HBV in HepG2.2.15 cells via inducing MxA by STAT1 signal transduction pathway].

Objective To investigate the effect of interleukin 27 (IL-27) on hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and antigen secretion in HepG2.2.15 cells and related mechanisms. Methods HepG2.2.15 cells were treated with IL-27 at various doses. The levels of HBsAg and HBeAg in the supernatant of the cell cultures were measured by ELISA, and the levels of HBV DNA was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The expression and localization of HBV core antigen (HBcAg) in HepG2.2.15 cells were observed by immunocytochemical staining. Moreover, the expression of STAT1, phosphorylated STAT1 (p-STAT1) and myxovirus-resistance protein A (MxA) were analyzed by Western blotting. Results After the treatment with different doses of IL-27, the levels of HBV-DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg and intracellular HBcAg in HepG2.2.15 cells gradually decreased. With the increase of IL-27 dose, the expression level of p-STAT1 significantly increased. There was no significant change in STAT1 expression. Further studies also showed that IL-27 induced MxA expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HepG2.2.15 cells. Conclusion IL-27 could induces MxA expression by activating STAT signaling pathway to exert anti-HBV activity.