Fig 6.

Effect of BFA, CPZ, or MCD on HBV infection. (A) DMSO-treated HuS-E/2 cells were treated with 1 μM BFA, 10 μg/ml of CPZ, or 10 mM MCD for 1 h at 37°C prior to and during HBV infection for 20 h, and then the cells were washed and incubated for 12 days, when RNA was isolated and subjected to reverse transcription and PCR to detect the presence of HBV HBsAg mRNA. Control PCRs were performed for endogenous GAPDH. NT, cells without drug treatment; −, noninfected control. (B) Real-time PCR analysis of HBV gene replication in DMSO-treated HuS-E/2 hepatocytes after inhibitor treatment. The data shown are the means and standard deviations for three independent experiments. (C) Lack of effect of BFA, CPZ, or MCD on the viability of DMSO-treated HuS-E/2 cells. Cells were seeded for 24 h and then treated with 1 μM BFA, 10 μg/ml of CPZ, or 10 mM MCD for 21 h at 37°C. The cells were then washed and incubated for an additional 12 days, when cell viability was measured by the MTT assay. The number of viable cells after treatment is expressed as a percentage of that in the nontreated control (NT). The data are the mean ± standard deviation for three independent experiments.