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[Quasispecies and variations of hepatitis B virus: core promotor region as an example]
Jing Dong1, Jun Cheng, Qinhuan Wang
1Gene Therapy Research Center, Institute of Infectious Diseases, The 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100039, China.
Insights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies reveal distinct mutation patterns in chronically infected patients. These variations, including deletions and T-to-C replacements, highlight genetic diversity within HBV strains.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Context:
- Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern.
- Understanding HBV genetic diversity is crucial for disease management.
- Quasispecies analysis provides insights into viral evolution during chronic infection.
Purpose:
- To investigate the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies groups in patients with chronic HBV infection.
- To identify specific mutation patterns within the HBV core promoter (CP) region.
Summary:
- Sequencing of the HBV core promoter (CP) region from three chronically infected patients revealed significant genetic heterogeneity.
- Common mutations included T-to-C replacement at nucleotide 184 within a TATA-like box and frequent deletion mutations in a hot region near DR I.
- These findings indicate the presence of distinct HBV quasispecies groups, with specific mutations potentially affecting viral gene expression.
Impact:
- Identifies specific mutation hotspots within the HBV core promoter.
- Suggests that the T184C mutation may impact pre-C/C protein expression.
- Provides evidence for HBV quasispecies diversity in chronic infection, informing future therapeutic strategies.
Objective:
To investigate the HBV quasispecies groups in the patients with chronic HBV infection.
Methods:
A set of specific primers was synthesized according to DNA sequence of HBV strain found in China. The whole core promoter (CP) region was amplified by PCR method from the sera of 3 patients with chronic HBV infection, and the PCR products were subcloned into pGEM Teasy vectors. The clones were randomly selected to be sequenced. Sequence comparison of the selected clones was made to find the difference.
Results:
By comparison, it was found that each sequence of selected clones was different. The point mutation always occurred in TATA-like boxes, especially from T to C replacement on 184 site. There is a hot region (33.3% 5/15) in basic core promoter where deletion mutation frequently happened.
Conclusions:
There is a hot deletion region near DR I in CP. The replacement at 184 nt (T to C) in the third TATA-like box may influence the expression of pre-C/C protein. The sequencing results suggest that there are HBV quasispecies groups in chronically infected patients.