Effect of interferon-lambda on replication of hepatitis B virus in human hepatoma cells

The antiviral activity of interferon-λ (IFN-λ) against several viruses has been reported, but it has not been investigated whether human IFN-λ can affect replication of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in human hepatocyte-derived cells. We found that replication of HBV in a human hepatoma cell line was reduced by approximately 30% following treatment with a high concentration of IFN-λ. Furthermore, we showed that replication of HBV in another human hepatoma cell line was not suppressed by IFN-λ. However, these cell lines showed a similar level of transcription for the heterodimeric IFN-λ receptor and the IFN-λ-induced antiviral proteins. Our results suggest that the antiviral activity of IFN-λ against HBV may be limited in human cells.