S-phase arrest after vincristine treatment may promote hepatitis B virus replication

Figure 2 Dose-dependent increases in hepatitis B virus DNA and RNA in stable hepatitis B virus-expressing cell lines after treatment with vincristine. A: Dose-dependent increase in HBV DNA in HepG2-HBV1.1 and HepG2.2.15 cells treated with vincristine based on real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis; B: Dose-dependent increase in HBV DNA in HepG2-HBV1.1 and HepG2.2.15 cells treated with vincristine based on Southern blot analysis; C: Vincristine increases HBV DNA in the supernatants of HepG2-HBV1.1 cells and HepG2.2.15 cells based on real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis; D: Vincristine increases HBV DNA in the supernatants of HepG2-HBV1.1 cells and HepG2.2.15 cells based on Southern blot analysis; E: Vincristine up-regulates HBV pgRNA based on real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis. HepG2-HBV1.1 (6 × 10⁵/well) and HepG2.2.15 (4 × 10⁵/well) cells were treated with 0.1 μmol/L vincristine for 24 h followed by 48 h of incubation in drug-free culture medium. HBV intermediates or total RNA were extracted 72 h after drug treatment. Values represent the mean ± SD of 3 independent experiments, and a representative experiment is shown. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01 vs control group (no vincristine). rc: Relaxed circular DNA; ds: Double-stranded DNA; ss: Single-stranded DNA. M: DNA ladder; pgRNA: Pregenome RNA.