Background
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relationship between HBV infection and the host genome as well as their underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.
Methods
In this study, we performed a whole-genome exon sequencing analysis of 300 sib-pairs of Chinese HBV-infected families with the goal of identifying variants and genes involved in HBV infection. A site-direct mutant plasmid was used to investigate the function of SNP rs76438938 in KNG1. The functional and mechanical studies of KNG1 were conducted with in vitro liver cell lines and a hydrodynamic injection model in vivo. The impact of KNG1 on HBV infection therapy was determined in hepatocytes treated with IFN-α/λ1. Findings: Our whole-exon association study of 300 families with hepatitis B infection found that SNP rs76438938 in KNG1 significantly increased the risk for HBV infection, and the rs76438938-T allele was found to promote HBV replication by increasing the stability of KNG1 mRNA. By competitively binding HSP90A with MAVS, KNG1 can inhibit the expression of types I and III IFNs by promoting MAVS lysosomal degradation. Such suppression of IFN expression and promotion of HBV replication by Kng1 were further demonstrated with an animal model in vivo. Lastly, we showed that the rs76438938-C allele can improve the therapeutic effect of IFN-α and -λ1 in HBV infection. Interpretation: This study identified a SNP, rs76438938, in a newly discovered host gene, KNG1, for its involvement in HBV infection and treatment effect through modulating the cellular antiviral process. Funding: This study was supported in part by the Independent Task of State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, the China Precision Medicine Initiative (2016YFC0906300), and the Research Center for Air Pollution and Health of Zhejiang University.