Monitoring Gene Expression Using DNA Microarrays During Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Under normal circumstances, hepatocyte infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is noncytopathic. Hepatocellular damage is mediated by the cellular and humoral arms of the host’s immune system (1 ). The final clinical outcome of either clearance or persistence reflects a three-way interplay of hepatocyte, virus, and the host’s immune response. Thus, an understanding of the impact of HBV replication on the “transcriptome” of hepatocytes would aid the understanding of the events that occur during active viral replication. Furthermore, such studies could also provide insights into the mechanism of HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis including the broader area of gene regulation following HBV infection.