Background: Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is an important cytokine with multiple functions, but the target genes transactivated by IFN-alpha remain largely unknown. A study of such genes will help to understand the mechanism of function of IFN-alpha. To isolate the gene transcripts specifically upregulated by IFN-alpha in HepG2 cells, we conducted suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) analysis.
Methods: SSH was used to analyze the target genes transactivated by recombinant IFN-alpha protein, and a subtractive cDNA library was constructed from HepG2 cells treated with recombinant IFN-alpha (rIFN-alpha, 2000 IU/ml) for 16 hours as tester, and cells not treated with rIFN-alpha as driver. The SSH PCR products from the library were cloned into pGEM-T easy vector and with BLASTX, the positive clones were randomly selected, sequenced and compared to the database in GenBank of the 35 differentially expressed gene fragments from the library, 6 clones showed significant homology to other known proteins.
Results: The subtractive cDNA library of genes upregulated by IFN-alpha was constructed successfully. rIFN-alpha upregulated the expression of the RAN binding protein 5 (RANBP5), NADH dehydrogenase, exosome component 3 (EXOSC3), zinc finger RNA binding protein, Dickkopf homolog 1 (DKK1) and acetyl-coenzyme A acetyltransferase 2 (ACAT2).
Conclusions: These results suggest that rIFN-alpha can upregulate the expression of important genes to exert its functions, and provide new clues for discovering the molecular mechanisms of action of IFN-alpha.