Ursolic acid suppresses hepatitis b virus x protein-mediated autophagy and chemotherapeutic drug resistance

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein is a multifunctional oncoprotein that affects diverse cell activities via regulation of various host cell signaling pathways. The current investigation demonstrated that ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, protected hepatoma cells and reduced HBx-mediated autophagy through modulation of Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA). Low-level ectopic HBx expression in Huh7 cells induced more significant autophagosome formation than high-level HBx expression. HBx activated beclin-1 promoter and enhanced the beclin-1 protein expression under low HBx expression. Transcription factor AP-1 played an essential function in HBx-mediated beclin-1 promoter activation. Inhibition of RhoA and its downstream effector Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) alleviated HBx-mediated autophagy significantly. Transiently-expressed HBx elicited an increased RhoA-GTP level, as well as phospho-ROCK1 transient accumulation. Utilization of transactivation-deficient HBx demonstrated that the transactivation activity of HBx is required for autophagy induction. Furthermore, UA suppressed HBx-mediated RhoA activation, beclin-1 promoter activation and subsequent autophagy induction, while, most importantly, reversed HBx-induced anti-cancer drug resistance.