Figure 3: Growth-suppressive effect of HBx mutants. A and B, Effects of HBx and artificial mutants on growth as assessed by the colony formation assay. HepG2 cells were transfected with plasmids expressing HBx constructed according to the naturally occurring mutation pattern of BCP/X or vector alone. C and D, Effects of HBx and artificial mutants on apoptosis as assessed by flow cytometry. Cells were stained with Annexin-V and PI V to determine cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. The percentage of cells that were Annexin-V positive, but PI negative were compared among different groups. Results are derived from triplicate transfections. *P<0.05; **P<0.01.