Inhibition of Alpha Interferon-Induced miR-873 Negatively Affects the Hepatitis B Virus Expression

Abstract Background Alpha interferon (IFN-α)-based therapy can effectively treat chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which remains a serious public health problem. This study aims to identify the potential biomarker of IFN treatment and investigate the effects of miR-873 on chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods We utilized the random forest to screen core differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) based on the miRNA (GSE29911) dataset. DEmiRNAs expressions were determined in clinical samples from CHB patients and normal controls. HBV-transfected hepatoma cell lines were constructed for vitro study. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine miRNA mRNA expressions. ELISA assays were used to detect the secretion levels of HBsAg and HBeAg. Results Boruta feature selection revealed miR-873 hinting at a predictive marker for IFN response. MiR-873 was significantly up-regulated in the CHB patients, as compared with normal controls ( P< 0.001). Increased expression of miR-873 was also found in HBV-infected cells ( P< 0.001). With IFN-α treatment, miR-873 was significantly down-regulated in HBV-infected Huh-7 and HepG-NTCP cells ( P< 0.05). IFN-α treatment and miR-873 inhibitor significantly reduced HBsAg and HBeAg level ( P <0.05). The inhibitory effect was enhanced by blocking the IFN-α-induced miR-873 downregulation by inhibitor transfection ( P <0.05). In miR-873 mimic-treated cells, the inhibitory effect was greatly supressed by blocking the IFN-α-induced miR-873 downregulation by mimic transfection ( P < 0.01). Conclusion We provide evidence that inhibition of miR-873 by IFN-α enhances the antiviral effects of IFN-α. Our study provides a potential strategy to enhance the anti-HBV effect of IFN-α by inhibiting miR-873 expression.