TAGLN2, a novel regulator involved in Hepatitis B virus transcription and replication

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major health problems in the world. Transgelin-2 (TAGLN2) expression has been revealed to be significantly altered in previous studies concerning HBV-host interaction. The present study investigated TAGLN2 expression patterns in HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its role in HBV transcription and replication. We collected 59 HBV related HCC tissue samples, their adjacent non-tumoral tissues and 16 normal livers to make the tissue microarray. TAGLN2 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry and the transcriptional levels of TAGLN2, HBc, HBs and HBx were detected by qRT-PCR. Then we investigated the function of TAGLN2 on HBV transcription and replication in vitro by ectopic expressing or knocking down TAGLN2 in HepG2 and HepG2.2.15 cell lines. We further studied the effect of HBx on TAGLN2 expression with a Tet-on HBx expressing cell line. TAGLN2 protein expression was lower in normal livers and HBV-HCC tissues comparing to adjacent non-tumoral tissues. The transcriptional levels of TAGLN2 in HBV-HCC tissues and their adjacent tissues were positively related to that of HBc, HBs and HBx (P < 0.05). Ectopic expression of TAGLN2 in vitro could enhance HBV transcription and replication while suppressing TAGLN2 had the contrary effect. TAGLN2 could be induced by HBx in a dose-dependent manner. Our data demonstrated that TAGLN2 might be an HBx induced positive host factor involved in HBV transcription and replication and HBx related liver fibrosis and tumorigenesis.