AUTHOR=Dong Mei-Ling , Wen Xu , He Xin , Ren Ji-Hua , Yu Hai-Bo , Qin Yi-Ping , Yang Zhen , Yang Min-Li , Zhou Chong-Yang , Zhang Hui , Cheng Sheng-Tao , Chen Juan TITLE=HBx Mediated Increase of DDX17 Contributes to HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumorigenesis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.871558 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.871558 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

HBV is strongly associated with HCC development and DEAD-box RNA helicase 17 (DDX17) is a very important member of the DEAD box family that plays key roles in HCC development by promoting cancer metastasis. However, the important role of DDX17 in the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of DDX17 in the replication of HBV and the development of HBV-associated HCC. Based on data from the GEO database and HBV-infected cells, we found that DDX17 was upregulated by the HBV viral protein X (HBx). Mechanistically, increased DDX17 expression promoted HBV replication and transcription by upregulating ZWINT. Further study showed that DDX17 could promote HBx-mediated HCC metastasis. Finally, the promotive effect of DDX17 on HBV and HBV-related HCC was confirmed in vivo. In summary, the results revealed the novel role of DDX17 in the replication of HBV and the metastasis of HBV-associated HCC.