Abstract: Objective To explore the role of CMPK2 in the immune-mediated antitumor effect of IFNα in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to analyze the expression of CMPK2 in Huh7 after the treatment of IFNα. The CMPK2 overexpressing Huh7 cells were generated by stably infecting with lentivirus. The ATP levels in the cells and the supernatant of CMPK2 overexpressing Huh7 cells were measured by the CellTiter-Glo ATP fluorescence assay. RT-qPCR was applied to test the expression of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages under the treatment of the supernatant of CMPK2 overexpressing Huh7 cells. Results The transcription and protein level of CMPK2 was significantly enhanced after the treatment of IFNα for 6 hours (P<0.01). CMPK2 increases the ATP level in the cells and supernatant of Huh7 cells（P<0.01）. The supernatant of CMPK2 overexpressing Huh7 cells activates the expression of IL1β, IL6 and CCL5 in macrophages（P<0.01). Conclusions IFNα increases the expression of CMPK2 in Huh7 cells to activate the expression of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages.

Key words: hepatocellular carcinoma, CMPK2, IFNα