IFIT3 Is Increased in Serum from Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection and Promotes the Anti-HBV Effect of Interferon Alpha via JAK-STAT2 In Vitro

Increasing evidence indicates that interferon alpha (IFN-α) therapy is an effective treatment option for a subgroup of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. It has been confirmed that interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3), a member of the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), could inhibit the replication of various viruses. However, its effect on HBV replication is unclear. The present study sought to explore the role and mechanism of IFIT3 in IFN-α antiviral activities against HBV. IFIT3 mRNA levels in the peripheral blood of 108 treatment-naive patients and 70 healthy controls were analyzed first. The effect of IFIT3 on the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway under the dual intervention of IFN-α and HBV was also explored in vitro. Treatment-naive individuals exhibited elevated levels of IFIT3 mRNA compared to the controls (P < 0.0001). Mechanistically, the knockdown of IFIT3 inhibited the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2), whereas the overexpression of IFIT3 produced the opposite effect in vitro. Meanwhile, the overexpression of IFIT3 enhanced the expression of IFN-α-triggered ISGs, including myxovirus resistance A (MxA), 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1), and double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR), while a weaker induction of IFN-α-triggered ISGs was observed in ruxolitinib-treated cells. After decreasing IFIT3 expression by validated small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), the levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and HBV DNA secreted by HepG2 cells transiently transfected with the pHBV1.2 plasmid were increased. Our findings suggest that IFIT3 works in a STAT2-dependent manner to promote the antiviral effect of IFN-α through the JAK-STAT pathway in HBV infection in both human hepatocytes and hepatocarcinoma cells. IMPORTANCE Our study contributes new insights into the understanding of the functions and roles of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3), which is one of the interferon-stimulated genes induced by hepatitis B virus infection in human hepatocytes and hepatocarcinoma cells, and may help to identify targeted genes promoting the efficacy of interferon alpha.