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Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
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Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle

Published on: February 1, 2017

Precore and core promoter mutations of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B in

Byung Chul Yoo1, Joong-Won Park, Hyung Joon Kim

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. bcyoo@smc.samsung.co.kr

Journal of Hepatology
|December 14, 2002
PubMed

Insights

In Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B, precore mutations were nearly universal with HBeAg seroconversion. Core promoter mutations were common, regardless of viral load or disease severity in HBV genotype C infections.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant global health concern.
  • Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (e-CHB) is a distinct clinical entity.
  • Precore/core promoter mutations are associated with HBV pathogenesis and treatment response.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency of precore/core promoter mutations in Korean patients with chronic HBV infection.
  • To determine the prevalence of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (e-CHB) in this population.
  • To explore the relationship between these mutations, viral replication, and disease severity.

Main Methods:

  • HBeAg status, anti-HBe, liver function tests, and HBV DNA levels (branched DNA assay) were assessed in chronic HBV patients.
  • Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify HBV DNA for precore/core promoter sequencing.
  • Analysis included HBeAg-negative (n=413) and HBeAg-positive (n=59) cohorts.

Main Results:

  • 17.7% of HBeAg-negative patients had e-CHB, with 19.6% showing detectable HBV DNA.
  • Precore mutation (A1896) was found in over 93% of HBeAg-negative patients, irrespective of HBV DNA levels.
  • Core promoter TA mutation was highly prevalent (89.8-89.9%) in HBeAg-negative patients and frequent (74.6%) in HBeAg-positive patients.
  • No significant correlation was observed between mutations and HBV DNA levels or liver disease severity.

Conclusions:

  • Precore mutation is almost invariably present in Korean patients with HBV genotype C following HBeAg seroconversion.
  • Core promoter TA mutation is frequent in this population, independent of viral replication or disease severity.
  • These findings highlight the high prevalence of specific HBV mutations in Korean patients, informing clinical management and research.
Abstract

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