Inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication by APOBEC3G in vitro and in vivo

Figure 1 Effect of APOBEC3G on HBV replication in cotransfected hepatoma cells. Cells were treated with lipofectamine 2000 reagents, and viral replicative DNA intermediates were analyzed with southern blotting 3 d after transfection. Numbers at the end of the lines indicate the amount of transfected plasmid DNA in micrograms. HBV, hepatitis B virus; RC, relaxed circular DNA; SS, single -stranded DNA.

Figure 2 Western blot analysis of cytoplasmic extracts from Huh7 cells cotransfected with indicated plasmids.

Figure 3 Effect of APOBEC3G on HBsAg and HBeAg secretion in the media of cotransfected Huh7 cells 3 d after transfection. HBsAg and HBeAg levels (S/N) were significantly reduced (error bar indicate standard error). Numbers at the end of the lines indicate the amount of transfected plasmid DNA in micrograms.

Figure 4 Effect of APOBEC3G on HBV RNA expression. Northern blot analysis of HBV transcripts from Huh7 cells co-transfected with indicated plasmids. The same blot was hybridized with a glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) DNA probe as an internal control.

Figure 5 Serum HBsAg levels in APOBEC3G treated mice. HBsAg levels(S/N) in the sera of BALB/c mice were significantly reduced after treatment with the APOBEC3G expression plasmids (error bar indicate standard error) in the indicated time points, n = 6 per treatment group.

Figure 6 Real time PCR quantification of HBV DNA in the sera of mice treated with APOBEC3G expression plasmid. BALB/c mice were coinjected with pHBV1.3 vector (10 μg ) and APOBEC3G expression plasmid (10 μg) 3 d after injection. HBV DNA levels (mean ± SD) of sera were determined by quantitative PCR, n = 6 per treatment group.

Figure 7 Real time PCR quantification of core-associated HBV RNA in the liver of mice treated with indicated plasmids. BALB/c mice were coinjected with pHBV1.3 vector (10 μg) and APOBEC3G expression plasmid (10 μg) 3 d after injection. The levels of liver HBV RNA were determined by quantitative RT-PCR, normalized to GAPDH mRNA and are reported as a ratio of HBV mRNA/GAPDH mRNA (mean ± SD). n = 6 per treatment group.