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The preS2/S region of integrated hepatitis B virus DNA encodes a transcriptional transactivator

Nature volume 343, pages 457–461 (1990)Cite this article

Abstract

HEPATITIS B virus (HBV) is regarded as the main aetiologic factor in the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most frequent fatal malignancies worldwide1,2. Detection of integrated HBV sequences in the cellular DNA of almost all HCCs studied2–17, and the recent finding that the integrated HBV open reading frame (orf) X encodes a trans-activating activity18, supports the notion that integrated HBV DNA could contribute to liver carcinogenesis by activation of cellular genes in trans18,20. But not all HCCs seem to harbour a functional orf X2–17. We report here that 3′-truncated preS2/Ssequences in integrated HBV DNA of liver cell carcinomas encode a so far unidentified transcriptional trans-activation activity. This activity is also produced by an artificially 3′-truncated preS2/S gene of the wild-type HBV genome. Besides the simian virus 40 promoter of the reporter plasmid pSV2CAT, the promoter of the human c-myc oncogene can also be activated. These results, taken together with the fact that preS/S is the only HBV gene found to be integrated in almost every HBV-related HCC analysed so far2–17, indicate that trans-activation by integrated preS2/S sequences is a possible mechanism for HBV-associated oncogenesis.

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Author notes

  1. Wolfgang H. Caselmann

    Present address: Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Grosshadern University of Munich, Munich, FRG

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-lnstitut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz 18a, D-8033, Martinsried, FRG

    Alexander S. Kekule, Ulrich Lauer, Markus Meyer, Wolfgang H. Caselmann, Peter Hans Hofschneider & Rajen Koshy

Authors
  1. Alexander S. Kekule
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  2. Ulrich Lauer
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  3. Markus Meyer
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  4. Wolfgang H. Caselmann
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  5. Peter Hans Hofschneider
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  6. Rajen Koshy
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Kekule, A., Lauer, U., Meyer, M. et al. The preS2/S region of integrated hepatitis B virus DNA encodes a transcriptional transactivator. Nature 343, 457–461 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/343457a0

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