Integrated analysis of micro RNA and m RNA expression profiles in HBx-expressing hepatic cells

AIM To identify the mi RNA-m RNA regulatory network in hepatitis B virus X(HBx)-expressing hepatic cells. METHODS A stable HBx-expressing human liver cell line L02 was established. The mR NA and miR NA expression profiles of L02/HBx and L02/pc DNA liver cells were identified by RNA-sequencing analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis was performed to investigate the function of candidate biomarkers, and the relationship between mi RNA and mR NA was studied by network analysis.RESULTS Compared with L02/pc DNA cells, 742 unregulated genes and 501 downregulated genes were determined as differentially expressed in L02/HBx cells. Gene ontology analysis suggested that the differentially expressed genes were relevant to different biologicalprocesses. Concurrently, 22 differential mi RNAs were also determined in L02/HBx cells. Furthermore, integrated analysis of mi RNA and m RNA expression profiles identified a core mi RNA-m RNA regulatory network that is correlated with the carcinogenic role of HBx. CONCLUSION Collectively, the miR NA-m RNA network-based analysis could be useful to elucidate the potential role of HBx in liver cell malignant transformation and shed light on the underlying molecular mechanism and novel therapy targets for hepatocellular carcinoma.