Innate cellular antiviral defenses are likely to influence the outcome of infections by many
human viruses, including hepatitis B and C viruses, agents that frequently establish
persistent infection leading to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. However, little is
known of the pathways by which hepatocytes, the cell type within which these hepatitis
agents replicate, sense infection, and initiate protective responses. We show that cultured
hepatoma cells, including Huh7 cells, do not activate the interferon (IFN)-β promoter in …