Analysis of micorRNA expression during the HBV acute and chronic infections

Recent implication of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the intricate cross-talk between the host and the pathogen in viral infections reveals a new layer of mechanism for host-virus interactions. In the present study, we investigated human miRNAs which may be involved in the acute and chronic HBV infections via microarray profiling. We determined the global miRNA expression profiles elicited in the uninfected control model (HepG2), the acute infection model (HepG2 transfected with a 1.3 full-length HBV genome) and the chronic infection model (HepG2.2.15) using CapitalBio corporation’s mammalian miRNA arrays. Three cellular models were used in this study: the human hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2 as a blank control representing the condition without virus infection; HepG2 transfected with a 1.3 full-length HBV genome as an acute infection model; and HepG2.2.15, a well-established cell line derived from HepG2 transfected with a full-length HBV genome and constitutively expressing HBV, as a chronic infection model.