Hepatocytes respond to foreign DNA. HepG2-hNTCP (A), HepG2-hNTCP-control or -cGAS/STING (B) or PHH (C) were stimulated with cGAMP (A), infected (inf.) with SeV or MVA-gfp, or transfected with HT-DNA or HBV nucleic acids (c/c: copies/cells) (B,C). ISG54 mRNA fold inductions to mock (A,B left part, C) or to transfection reagent-treated cells (tr. reagent) (B, right part) was determined by RT-qPCR. Average and SEM of 4 (A), 2 (B) independent experiments in triplicates or of 4 donors in duplicates (C). Levels of significance compared to respective controls (A,B left part, C: mock; B, right part: transfection reagent-treated cells): **** p < 0.0001, *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05 (2-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparisons (A); Kruskal–Wallis with Dunn’s test (B,C)).