Functional dissection of an IFN-α/β receptor 1 promoter variant that confers higher risk to chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Upon HBV infection, decreased binding affinity of HMGB1 to the IFNAR1 promoter −3T variant is aggravated by the suppressed PARP-1 expression caused by HBV, resulting in a further attenuated IFNAR1 expression. This compromises the antiviral and immuno-regulatory effects of IFN-α/β, which may in turn affect the clinical outcome of HBV infection.