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SIRT3 restricts hepatitis B virus transcription and replication through epigenetic regulation of covalently closed circular DNA involving suppressor of variegation 3‐9 homolog 1 and SET domain containing 1A histone methyltransferases

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health problem worldwide. Maintenance of the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which serves as a template for HBV RNA transcription, is responsible for the failure of eradicating chronic HBV during current antiviral therapy. cccDNA is assembled with cellular histone proteins into chromatin, but little is known about the regulation of HBV chromatin by histone posttranslational modifications. In this study, we identified silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 3 (SIRT3) as a host factor restricting HBV transcription and replication by screening seven members of the sirtuin family, which is the class III histone deacetylase. Ectopic SIRT3 expression significantly reduced total HBV RNAs, 3.5‐kb RNA, as well as replicative intermediate DNA in HBV‐infected HepG2‐Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide cells and primary human hepatocytes. In contrast, gene silencing of SIRT3 promoted HBV transcription and replication. A mechanistic study found that nuclear SIRT3 was recruited to the HBV cccDNA, where it deacetylated histone 3 lysine 9. Importantly, occupancy of SIRT3 on cccDNA could increase the recruitment of histone methyltransferase suppressor of variegation 3‐9 homolog 1 to cccDNA and decrease recruitment of SET domain containing 1A, leading to a marked increase of trimethyl‐histone H3 (Lys9) and a decrease of trimethyl‐histone H3 (Lys4) on cccDNA. Moreover, SIRT3‐mediated HBV cccDNA transcriptional repression involved decreased binding of host RNA polymerase II and transcription factor Yin Yang 1 to cccDNA. Finally, hepatitis B viral X protein could relieve SIRT3‐mediated cccDNA transcriptional repression by inhibiting both SIRT3 expression and its recruitment to cccDNA. Conclusion: SIRT3 is a host factor epigenetically restricting HBV cccDNA transcription by acting cooperatively with histone methyltransferase; these data provide a rationale for the use of SIRT3 activators in the prevention or treatment of HBV infection. (Hepatology 2018).