Hepatitis B virus X protein plays an important role in gastric ulcers.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects many individuals globally each year. Researchers usually focus on the relationship between HBV and liver diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of HBV infection on gastric mucosa. We detected the levels of HBX protein and mRNA in specimens from sixty-four chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) with gastric ulcers. We confirmed that HBX could aggravate gastric ulcers according to clinicopathological parameters. In addition, we constructed the pcDNA3.1-HBX plasmid and transfected it into GES-1, a gastric mucosal cell line. The results indicated that HBX could induce apoptosis and G1 arrest in GES-1 cells. Insights into the mechanism of HBX action in GES-1 cells were obtained using western blot analysis.