HCV Core plays a role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Aberrant expression of
NANOG has been observed in many types of human malignancies. However, relationship between
Core and NANOG has not been clarified. In this study, we found that Core is capable of up-regulating
NANOG expression. Core-induced NANOG expression was accompanied by enforced expression of
phosphorylated stat3 protein and was attenuated by inhibition of stat3 phosphorylation. ChIP
showed that phosphorylated stat3 directly binds to the NANOG promoter. Core-induced NANOG
expression resulted in enhanced cell growth and cell cycle progression. Knockdown of NANOG
blocked the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phases and inhibited the cyclin D1 expression. Our findings provide
a new insight into the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis by HCV infection.
2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.