Betty L. Slagle Ph.D.
Pathogenesis of Viral Hepatitis
-
- Associate Professor
- Ph.D.
Baylor College of Medicine - Postdoc
University of Texas Houston,
and Baylor College of Medicine - 713-798-3006
- bslagle@bcm.edu
Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects approximately 350 million people worldwide and constitutes a significant risk factor for severe liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBx is the sole regulatory protein encoded by HBV. It is required for virus replication, and has a cancer cofactor role in HBx transgenic mice. New plasmid-based HBV replication assays provide an opportunity to evaluate HBx function in the context of virus replication, and in a biologically relevant setting. The long-term goal of our research is to identify the function provided by HBx that is critical for virus replication. The information generated may allow us to identify new cellular targets through which to disrupt chronic virus replication and prevent serious liver pathology and HCC. .
Keasler, V. V., Lerat, H., Madden, C .R., Finegold, McGarvey, M.J., Mohammed, E. M. A., Forbes, S. J., Lemon, S. M., Hadsell, D. L., Grona, S. J., Hollinger, F.B., and Slagle, B.L. Increased liver pathology in hepatitis C virus transgenic mice expressing the hepatitis B virus X protein. Virology 347:466-475, 2006.
Keasler, V.V., Hodgson, A.J., Madden, C.R., Slagle, B. L. Enhancement of hepatitis B virus replication by the regulatory X protein in vitro and in vivo. J. Virol. 81:2656-2662, 2007.
Hodgson, A. J., Keasler, V.V., and Slagle, B.L. Premature cell cycle entry induced by hepatitis B virus regulatory HBx protein during compensatory liver regeneration. Cancer Research 68:10341-10348, 2008.
Keasler, V.V., Hodgson, A.J., Madden, C.R., and Slagle, B.L. Hepatitis B virus HBx protein localized to the nucleus restores HBx-deficient replication in HepG2 cells and in vivo in hydrodynamically-injected mice. Virology 390:122-129, 2009.