Frontiers in Immunology (Jun 2022)

HBx Mediated Increase of DDX17 Contributes to HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumorigenesis

  • Mei-Ling Dong,
  • Xu Wen,
  • Xin He,
  • Ji-Hua Ren,
  • Hai-Bo Yu,
  • Yi-Ping Qin,
  • Zhen Yang,
  • Min-Li Yang,
  • Chong-Yang Zhou,
  • Hui Zhang,
  • Sheng-Tao Cheng,
  • Juan Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.871558
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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HBV is strongly associated with HCC development and DEAD-box RNA helicase 17 (DDX17) is a very important member of the DEAD box family that plays key roles in HCC development by promoting cancer metastasis. However, the important role of DDX17 in the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of DDX17 in the replication of HBV and the development of HBV-associated HCC. Based on data from the GEO database and HBV-infected cells, we found that DDX17 was upregulated by the HBV viral protein X (HBx). Mechanistically, increased DDX17 expression promoted HBV replication and transcription by upregulating ZWINT. Further study showed that DDX17 could promote HBx-mediated HCC metastasis. Finally, the promotive effect of DDX17 on HBV and HBV-related HCC was confirmed in vivo. In summary, the results revealed the novel role of DDX17 in the replication of HBV and the metastasis of HBV-associated HCC.

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