Knockdown of damage-specific DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1) enhances the HBx-siRNA-mediated inhibition of HBV replication.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the effect of inhibition of HBV replication can be achieved by RNA interference (RNAi) at both the cellular and organismal levels. However, HBV replication cannot be completely inhibited by this method. To completely inhibit HBV replication, new strategies for improving the inhibition efficacy of HBV-specific siRNAs are needed. In this study, we demonstrated that knockdown of damage-specific DNA binding protein 1(DDB1), a protein involved in nucleotide-excision repair and HBV replication, significantly enhanced the HBx-siRNA-mediated inhibition of HBV replication. Although knockdown of DDB1 may be toxic to normal liver cells, our results indeed suggest a new direction to enhance the efficacy of HBV-siRNA-mediated inhibition of HBV replication.